Bite the Bullet
by 1Pagan3
Summary: SEQUEL to Bullet with Butterfly Wings! Johnny is finally starting to get used to his life as Sam Winchester with everything that goes along with it, but suddenly a blast from the past threatens to destroy what he cherishes most.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey there... this is the sequel to Bullet with Butterfly Wings, so if you hadn't read it, I recommend doing so first. Now then, I know that I have other stories to update, but I promised Sammygirl1963 that I'd get busy on this one, and I just hope I've done it some justice. Don't forget to let me know, ok? Cool!

**Disclaimers**: I do not own anything of Eric Kripke's creations, but boy don't I wish I did! ;) Seriously though, I'm only playing with them, but will put them back when I'm done... uh... where do they go again? :) JK!!

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Sam looked at his watch as he rushed across the quad of the college campus, slinging his backpack across his shoulder. He had just enough time to stop at the store to get something special for dinner before picking up Ellie from the day center that she had started attending that was special designed for those with special needs. He'd been lucky to get her in without a doctor's recommendation, but when they had evaluated her they found that she already matched several of their criteria with the potential to succeed with their curriculum. It had been a huge adjustment that instead of everyone taking care of their little princess, she was actually going to school three days a week which left him time to enroll in the Spring semester as a full time student. Now that he had finished his last final, he could relax for a couple of weeks before starting again for the upcoming Summer term.

His unofficial advisor Dr. Young warned that he was going to burn out if he didn't slow down; but after seeing his determination, had quickly helped him design a semester by semester schedule to help him optimize his credits without putting too much of a strain on his family life or pocketbook. It had taken several attempts on his parents part for him to finally accept the money they kept offering to pay for his tuition, but when Ellie started going to the school it started to put a crimp in his budget and he knew that he didn't qualify for any scholarships yet so it only made sense. Now though he was running late and that was something he absolutely hated and had never gotten used to in his brother Dean. 'He's going to be late for his own funeral.' He thought with little humor, knowing how easy things could happen to make that an actuality.

"JOHNNY! JOHNNY DOE!"

Suddenly Sam was tossed back into the past and it was definitely one place that he'd been trying to stay out of. Turning around he saw a woman running towards him waving as if they were the greatest of friends. He knew that others were wondering about this crazed middle aged woman yelling at him, but he couldn't be bothered with that, his main concern was why she was there and why in the world did she want to talk to him. As she stopped in front of him she looked out of breath, but extremely pleased with herself.

"Johnny, I'm so glad that I caught up with you. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm…"

"I remember Ms. Chase; the question is why are you here?" Sam asked brusquely. He had never really liked her and had made no secret of it. Now this person was standing there looking at him as if she had done something wonderful, he wanted to leave but didn't want to give her any reason for her to keep nosing around in his business.

"Of course, I understand Johnny. We didn't get off on the right foot, did we?" she asked, hoping for some sort of response, when she didn't get one she continued. "I recently retired, and have been going over many of my older case files and checking up on those that I had lost track of. No matter what you thought of me, I always had your best interest at heart. If you have a few moments I would love to catch up with you and see personally how well you're doing."

Sam couldn't believe the audacity of this woman and could only stare at her for a moment before he finally had enough. "I don't want you here; I don't want you around me or my family. You've seen me, you've seen how I'm doing, now leave." He said before he turned and started to walk off, hoping that she'd get the hint and stay away.

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Mary was excited, she knew that her youngest son had wanted to cook dinner for everyone tonight in celebration of finishing his finals, but she and John were so proud of him that they had decided to surprise him with their own cookout. It had taken most of the afternoon to gather up everything and get it all ready, but it was going to be worth it. Taking one last look at the note she wrote, she taped it to the back door and hurried home where Dean and John were both waiting.

It didn't take long after hearing the old truck pull into the driveway that they heard Sammy talk to Ellie as they walked into the elder Winchester's home. As they listened, they could tell their ruse of a broken oven worked making John extremely proud of himself that he'd thought of it. Smiling, they knew that Sam had stopped in the kitchen to see what he could do to 'fix' their stove.

"Hi sweetie, thank you for coming over so quickly, but you didn't have to." Mary said as she made her way into the kitchen.

"It's ok; I know how much you like to bake cookies for Ellie, so…"

"No son, she meant that you didn't have to… the stove isn't broken." John said with a smile, joining them and quickly followed by Dean.

"Yeah little brother, we're having a cookout in the back yard."

Looking around, Sam had no idea what just happened, but he suddenly was very happy for it. Although his exams had gone pretty well, he wasn't in as good of a mood as he had been and he knew what was to blame for it.

"So, let's get this party started!" Dean said as he picked Ellie up and headed out the door smiling the whole way.

Sam smirked on his way out the door wondering if it was going to be like this every semester and if so, what would happen if he actually graduated. As they reached the back yard though his thoughts were suddenly frozen when he heard the question he hadn't even known he was dreading.

"So Sammy; how was your day?"

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Adrienne Chase had been a social worker for the Virginia Department of Human Services for twenty years before she found herself at a crossroads in her life; continue and get fired for incompetence, or retire with some sense of dignity still intact. Once the decision was made she then started to think about all the cases that had gone so very wrong and wondered if maybe she had actually done more harm than good. She knew how a lot of her cases went, but there were many that had actually seemed to fall through the cracks and she wanted to see for herself how they actually ended. So far though, things weren't progressing as she had hoped.

When she had chose social services as a career, she had envisioned herself as someone dedicated to make sure each and every child got the best care possible, no matter what it took. It didn't take her long to realize that she only had so much power and not enough hours in the day. Too many days ended with rescheduled appointments, and dinner being ate while looking over reports that would make the most hardened hearts cringe. Although she had thought she had done her best, she was now starting to understand that maybe her best wasn't good enough and maybe even a little biased on how she thought things should be done instead of what was needed for the individual.

She remembered Johnny Doe as a ten year old boy who had been shuffled around so often that he never bothered to unpack what few belongings he had. If it had been a couple of years previous then she would have had more sympathy towards him attempted to break through more of those barriers that he had created. Instead she had voluntarily skimmed over his file and determined that with his frequent outbursts and outlandish fabrications of life with several of his foster families, the only logical course of action was to have him admitted for evaluation. He of course was not pleased with her recommendation and had proceeded to tell her to her face exactly what he thought of her which only bolstered her opinion. It wasn't until charges were filed against one of his former foster parents that she started looking into his case further. By that time however, he had been released into temporary placement and in less than a week had disappeared.

It hadn't been easy to track him down, but she had a lot of help as well as quite a bit of luck. She still hadn't gotten the full story about why he was enrolled at the University of Kansas under the name of Samuel Winchester, but she was certain that it wouldn't take much to find out. Now though, she wanted a chance to have an actual conversation with the boy in question, if for no other reason than to have some form of closure about his case. There weren't many Winchester's in the phone book so she decided to find him the old fashioned way, by knocking on doors.

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Dean had been excited all day to celebrate his little brother's accomplishment. Sure, to most people finishing one semester wasn't a big deal, but most people didn't take honors classes while taking care of a little girl and working part time either. He knew how hard his brother worked and as much as it made him proud, it also worried him; the kid hardly slept anymore. After they had moved into their house and got Ellie's room just the way she seemed to like it, Sam had actually started to sleep more than an hour or two at a time. Now though he was so concerned about disappointing everyone that he would worry about every little assignment or quiz to the point of pulling all nighters just on the possibility that there would be a pop quiz the next day. Between that and the amount of paperwork that he was having to sift through when taking notes, the kitchen started to look like a bomb went off in a paper factory.

"Hey Dean, I was meaning to ask you if Sammy really liked his birthday gift, or should we find something else?" Mary asked, thankful that her youngest boy was back inside tinkering with something upstairs.

"That's funny Mom, I was just thinking about that. Don't worry, he likes it. Hell, I like it and I don't even use it!" Dean joked, happy to know that the laptop they had split the cost for was going to good use. "He told me that he put all of his notes in it and he was actually using it right before exams to skim over everything without having to worry about it being in the wrong order."

Mary smiled, she knew how Sammy was about order, but for some reason it didn't seem to extend to his organizational skills when it pertained to school work. She couldn't believe some of the pages she had seen him toss out because they were written 'wrong.'

"Hey you two, how about you get over here and help me and Ellie dish up some of this stuff and…"

"Excuse me… hello… I heard voices and thought I'd find you here, um; do I have the right address? I'm looking for John and Mary Winchester."

John looked at the woman who walked up their driveway and wondered about the feeling he was getting. Everything had been going so well lately; Dean was enjoying his job, Sammy was helping out at the shop when he could while going to school, and Ellie had been accepted into a school that had a specially designed curriculum for different forms of Autism. Everything was great, so why was he getting the feeling that their luck was about to change?

"I'm Mary, how can we help you?"

Adrienne smiled at the woman in front of her and wondered if it was possible that she knew Johnny, maybe her luck was changing after all. "Well, I was hoping you would be able to answer a few questions for me; I'll try not to take too much of your time."

"What kind of questions?" Dean asked, wondering why his dad was looking at this woman with distrust and his mom was truly curious.

"Well, I guess for starters, do you know a Johnny Doe?" Adrienne asked, watching the people in front of her go from accommodating to borderline hostile in only a matter of moments. "I assure you that I only want to make sure he's in a better home now. Now if you could just tell me how long it's been since he's been with your family?" she asked, hoping to get this over with before anything happened that she might regret.

The sound of the screen door swinging open before slamming into the side of the house brought everyone's attention to the person who just joined them. Dean knew he needed to act fast because the look on his brother's face was murderous. "Sammy…"

"Stay out of this Dean." Sam said as he approached his former social worker. "I told you that I didn't want to see you. Why are you really here?" he demanded as he approached the woman, making her back up along the driveway.

"Johnny, I assure you that what I told you was the truth. I just want to catch up and see how far you've come since…"

"Since you tossed me into hellhole after hellhole? Or how about after you decided that I was showing 'inappropriate anger' and had me committed? Is that what you want to talk about?" he asked as he continued his advancement towards her while ignoring his mother's request for him to calm down and Dean's insistence that the woman wasn't worth it.

"I assure you that I did everything in my power to find you a good home, but sometimes…"

Sam stopped suddenly before he looked at her as if pondering something. Finally he asked, "Did you ever try to find out if I belonged to someone?"

Puzzled, Adrienne looked at the faces of each person before shaking her head. "Johnny, there were never any records of you having a family. You were in the system for so long; any chance of finding anyone who knew what happened to them was slim to none."

Laughter bubbled from Sam's mouth as he let her words wash over him and he found the whole situation insane. He looked first at Dean then Mary before looking over his shoulder at John. A moment later he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. "Wow, slim to none, that's impressive; it really is… since my family found me on the side of a damn road in the middle of the Oklahoma panhandle, and you couldn't find them with all of your contacts across the country."

"Johnny, I understand that family comes in all forms and I'm happy that you found one that you're compatible with, but you have to understand…"

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing and furthermore something that Sammy said clicked in his brain; someone had to have seen a notice for a missing baby at one time or another, why didn't they ever connect the dots? "Look lady, my brother is trying to tell you something and you're not listening. His name is Samuel Winchester, he was kidnapped from his bed when he was six months old and we finally found him a year ago on the side of the road in the Oklahoma panhandle. Now, my question to you is… why didn't anyone figure out who he was sooner? I mean it's not as if there hadn't been national news coverage about his kidnapping, hell… people thought our _mom_ did it! I had always thought that he was safe and happy with someone, but the more I learn the more I want to take it out on the people who helped make his life miserable. So, I suggest you turn around and forget you ever found him."

John knew that things were escalating at a rate faster than anyone anticipated, but he also knew that this woman had an agenda but he couldn't figure out what it was. Picking up Ellie, he walked closer to his son before placing the little girl in his arms.

"Sammy, take Ellie inside for awhile, she doesn't need to the stress and you need a chance to calm down." John said calmly as he waited for the answering nod as his boy took Ellie into the kitchen. Turning back to the woman he couldn't believe what he saw, she actually was crying – crying! As if she had an actual reason to give in to tears. "Look, as you can see, we found him and until you showed up, he was happy. So how about you leave us all alone before we file a restraining order and make you?"

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As he watched Ellie draw another picture, Sam did his best to calm down; he didn't want to upset his family with his anger towards that woman. Rubbing his hands over his face, he could hear his dad give Ms. Chase what for and he couldn't help but smile. 'This must be what I was missing when I was in trouble with the Principal.' He thought, allowing himself to drift back to a time that he was alone, and this time imagine having his mom and dad there to stand up for him. It felt good and he relished it for another moment before the sound of the phone ringing pulled him out of his daydream.

"Guess I'd better get that, huh Ellie?" he asked wryly as he glanced at her picture noticing that she was drawing a family portrait. "Cool."

As he reached over for the phone he was only half listening when he answered it, but nearly dropped the receiver when he heard the voice on the other end.

"_Johnny Cade, Long time no see kid!"_


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I know it's short, but I thought it was the perfect place to end the chapter. Then again... I could be wrong... nah!! Hope you enjoy!

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Dean knew that seeing this… person was the last thing that his little brother needed to deal with at the moment. Knowing that his parents had the situation under control he decided to check on the rest of his family. Walking inside, he wasn't prepared to see Sammy standing in the middle of the kitchen holding the phone to his ear but staring off into space.

"Sammy?" he asked cautiously, wondering if seeing the social worker had actually done some damage after all. Taking the phone he listened to the dial tone for a moment before returning it to its cradle. "Hey Sammy, you still with us?" he asked, hoping for some sort of response.

Sam heard Dean in the background and somehow knew he was scaring his brother. Pulling himself together he turned his head and nodded. "Yeah Dean, I'm fine." He said trying out a smile but sensing that he didn't actually pull it off.

"Uh huh…" Dean said while looking Sammy over from top to bottom, not liking what he saw. Something had spooked his brother but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to get any answers from him at the moment. "Look, Mom and Dad are taking care of whatshername, so after she's gone we can continue with the festivities, ok?"

It took Sam a moment to figure out what Dean was talking about, and another moment to realize that he wasn't up to celebrating anything, but he didn't want to ruin it for everyone else so he nodded. Quickly looking over to see where Ellie was, he was relieved to see her still intently drawing. Letting out a strained breath, he suddenly became aware of his brother's scrutiny and knew that was the last thing he needed… until he heard the woman outside and understood that _she_ talking to his parents was the last thing he needed.

Dean wasn't sure what just happened, but he knew that if the look his brother had on his face was any indication, then the outcome couldn't be good. Racing out the door in pursuit of Sammy he almost tripped down the steps when he heard the woman try to justify her actions.

"… you have to understand, he was a mess and it was the only way to be sure he wasn't a threat to himself or others."

Anything else that she was planning on saying was cut off when Sam grabbed her upper arm and started to physically drag the woman down the driveway effectively ignoring everyone's yell to let her go. The only thing that mattered was to get this horrible reminder of a time that he'd never wanted to remember out of here; he didn't care how he managed it, he just needed her out of there.

John had no idea what was going on, but he knew that if they didn't stop Sammy then he could easily get in trouble with the law if he kept it up and that just wasn't acceptable. "Sammy, son… you need to let her go." He said as he caught up with them. Whatever was going on, he knew that he wasn't getting through to him and that started to scare him.

They had made it to the street and Sam forced Ms. Chase into her car. "Don't come back!" he growled at her then slammed the car door before stalking back up the driveway ignoring the shocked looks on his family's faces; he couldn't face anyone right now, he just needed a few minutes and maybe a hug from a certain little princess.

Mary looked at John and Dean before asking, "What she said, oh my God John, what did she do to our baby?"

John wondered the same thing as he looked first towards the house then to the car that was driving away. He had no idea what to think, but if what the woman said was true then their boy had defiantly been put through the wringer and had every right to be suspicious of people. Sighing, he patted Dean on the back and steered both his son and his wife back towards the house. Although he wasn't sure what they'd find when they got back inside, he was sure that the last thing that his boy needed right now was time to himself.

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Mary watched Sam take Ellie inside and tried to ignore the feeling that was settling in the pit of her stomach. Looking back at the woman in front of her and saw that she was watching her son and Ellie with great interest.

"I think you need to leave." Mary said steadily moving to the side to stand directly in front of the woman who finally identified herself as Adrienne Chase. "It's obvious that you are only upsetting my family."

Adrienne watched the woman claiming to be Johnny's mother stand as if defending her young. "I just need a moment, that's all. I just wanted to make sure that he is alright now." She said trying to move past Mary.

"I think you've done enough, which means you're no longer welcome here." John said as he barred Dean from approaching the woman.

"Look, I'm sure he's told you a lot of horror stories and I'm sure that in some cases he truly experienced some of it, but most could very well have just been… I don't know, a way to justify his actions. If he had stayed in the rehab facility he would have…"

"Wait… what?" John asked, barely noticing Dean going inside.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. The state didn't have appropriate facilities for children to get the psychiatric care needed, but we had to make sure he was alright so he was set up in a very reputable hospital. I assure you that it was necessary to have him evaluated in case he needed more extensive therapy. When he came to my attention he was angry all the time and would constantly act out. He was a ten year old boy who seemed to be more comfortable living on the street than in a family environment, you have to understand, he was a mess and it was the only way to be sure he wasn't a threat to himself or others."

The conversation stopped suddenly as the door opened forcibly and Sam rushed out and down the steps. Before anyone could stop him, he already had the woman by the arm and dragging her down the driveway. The thought of what could happen to their son if he actually hurt her spurred the remaining Winchester's into action to attempt to stop Sam's actions. None wanted to even contemplate what the woman had said, what it meant, or what Sam had to be going through at that moment.

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As they walked to the kitchen, none of them were certain what they would find. After all, it wasn't everyday that a person's family gets told that they had been committed while in a state's care. They could only hope that they could get it across to Sammy that it didn't matter; that everything was the same at it was before. Before walking inside, they were shocked to hear not just one voice, but two floating towards them from inside the house.

"What?" Sam asked, his voice thick with emotion, making the others stop suddenly right outside the door.

"Ellie love Johnny…"


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hope you all enjoy this one. I actually thought about making it longer, but mr sandman is being mean and dumping a sanbox on my head. Take care!

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"_Ellie love Johnny…"_

That one statement kept echoing in Sam's head as he looked at the little girl in shock. It had been so long since she had said that, so very long that he had heard her say more than one word at a time that he couldn't think of what to do at the moment. Suddenly it sunk in what his little princess not only said, but done and he was picking her up close to him murmuring in her hair over and over again "Johnny loves Ellie too.", ignoring the tears streaming down his face.

John, Mary and Dean watched from the doorway the almost miraculous scene and none were eager to intrude when they heard Sam shout for them before turning around and saw them.

"Did you hear? Did you… oh my God… Ellie!" Sam gushed, hugging the girl tightly too him while practically dancing around the kitchen making the others laugh with happiness, all other concerns forgotten as they joined in the festivities; now their celebration could truly begin.

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John knew he was smiling like a loon, but he couldn't help it, the family had a great weekend starting from Ellie speaking a full sentence and ending with the whole family spending a full day at the lake just relaxing and having some fun. Sammy had managed to get his grades online which sent him over the moon when he not only passed his classes, but aced his finals sending his GPA into the 'A' range giving the boy more confidence that he could actually have a chance at a scholarship; like any of them ever had a doubt.

"Hey John there's someone in the office for you." Mike called to him from the side of the car before looking at him from underneath. "and before you ask, no she can't wait."

Groaning, John could only hope it wasn't the foreman from the concrete company wanting to complain that it took too long getting one of their trucks back to them. Actually it hadn't really been their fault, they had a rebuilt part, but the company insisted on waiting for a brand new OEM part even though it took a week to get it in. Sighing, he walked into the office and knew that things had just gone from great to horrendous.

"What do you want Ms. Chase?" he asked without preamble, hoping that she'd take the hint and leave.

Adrienne knew that she had messed up showing up unannounced, but she had felt awful about how things had gone several days ago and hoped to make amends. Now though as she stood there she wondered if she'd get a chance to actually talk to the man, or would he toss her out on her ear. "Mr. Winchester, I want to apologize for how I handled the whole situation before, it was callous and unprofessional of me. If you have a few minutes, I'd just like to ask a few questions and then I'll leave."

John had no idea what to think of this woman's audacity and had no problem telling her so except for one little problem; Sammy's truck was pulling up out front and the last thing he needed was to see this witch in the office.

"Stay here." He growled out as he walked outside to meet up with his youngest son.

Sam knew that he should have waited until later to bring the truck in, but with Ellie at school, his mother sitting on some charity board, and Dean working for the next three days he had to get out of the house. Who knew that someplace could be so quiet? Seeing his dad walking out of the shop he couldn't help but wonder what was going on, normally he'd have to hunt him down under a car or in the office.

"Hey Sammy, what's going on? Don't tell me that you're actually bored already!" John tried to joke. He hoped that he could steer Sammy away from the shop, but he also knew that if left to his own devises his son would start obsessing over the summer semester that he hadn't even begun yet.

Smiling shyly Sam didn't know how to ask his dad, but knew that if he didn't then there'd be hell to pay later. "Uh… starter's going out and I was hoping to use the company account to get a new one. I'll pay it back, it's just…"

"Sam! Stop!" John interrupted, "of course you can use the account at Wendell's, that's why I put your name on it. Now that's settled, is everything else alright?" John asked, slightly amused that his boy had seemed nervous about something so simple as a starter for the old Ford that he insisted on keeping.

"Fine, I just was hoping to get the truck fixed before I head towards the campus and start pricing books before I pick Ellie up. I was wondering though if you and Mom would like to have dinner with us tonight…nothing fancy, just some chicken and salad." Sam said, feeling as if he were rambling, and if it wasn't for the warm smile on his father's face he would have given up and headed home instead of waiting for an answer.

Knowing that it was a big step for his boy anytime he offered to cook for them, he readily agreed, then watched as Sammy coaxed the truck to start before maneuvering it back into traffic. Turning back towards the garage, John prayed that he'd be able to keep his temper in check for a little while longer.

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Sam hated asking anyone for anything, but he was starting to get better at it; only if it was his family though. He hated having to ask for the favor about the starter, but he knew that the money in the bank was going to be going towards his books and it was going to take him the time he had before the semester started to get a head start on his studies. He knew his family thought he was strange, but this last semester proved to him that he was a little slower than others thought. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he'd put in quite a few all night study sessions there would have been no way he would have been able to figure out his notes. It had always disgusted him how what he would put down on paper one time wouldn't make any sort of sense the next. Now though, with the laptop his parents and brother bought him for his birthday, he could arrange his notes until they made the most sense all the time.

Pulling into the parts store, he saw Mr. Wendell's grandson at the counter and suppressed a groan. Most people didn't know that he and Kevin didn't get along… at all, but then again most people didn't know that he and Kevin had a couple of run-in's shortly after he moved to Lawrence and was going out with Dean a lot. Now though he had to play nice otherwise there could be problems with the shop getting the parts it needed, and he'd be the cause of it.

"Well, if it isn't Johnnyboy. What brings you here today?" Kevin asked snidely, remembering full well an occasion that wasn't so bright or happy when he crossed paths with the punk kid standing in front of him.

Sam knew he needed to be patient, he couldn't cause anymore trouble for his family, and if that meant being nice to scum like Kevin Wendell, then so be it. "Just need a starter for my truck."

Kevin looked at the old Ford outside the store and smirked. "You know for someone whose dad owns half a garage, you sure aren't very good advertising for him. Tell you what, how about I just take that junker off your hands and you can find something more… suitable for the Winchester reputation."

"Sorry Kevin, sentimental reasons, you know how it is. Now, how about that part?" Sam asked, trying hard not to let Kevin goad him, but also not wanting to hear anything else about reputations.

Smirking, Kevin walked into the back and pulled a part off the shelf. As he walked back to the counter though, he called out. "So, you paying cash, or by card?"

"Garage account."

"Sorry, but you don't have authorization to use the garage's account."

Taking a deep breath, Sam knew where this was heading and he wanted to avoid it at all costs. "If you're sure about that then how much would it be for cash?" he asked as he watched Kevin write up and receipt. When he saw what was written, he thought he'd fall over. "Wait a minute! There is no way that starter could cost that much!"

Not even bothering to look at Sam, Kevin shrugged his shoulders before answering, "It's a rare year man, take it or leave it."

Turning around he knew that today was not the day to start a feud between two families. As he walked out of the parts store however he had only one thought race through his mind.

'How the hell am I going to explain this to dad?'

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Dean had been bragging about his niece all morning and the guys were starting to get tire of it. Not that they could ever get tired of little Ellie, because that was never going to happen, but the fact that Dean kept rambling on none stop about what happened over the weekend was driving everyone around him nuts.

Lucas watched Dean act as if he were the happiest person alive and he knew that a certain little girl was a big part of it, but then again having a brother that was pulling A's in college classes was something to be extremely proud of too. Smiling, he watched the others grumble and find excuses to stay away from the ecstatic Winchester while the guy was completely clueless as to why he kept turning around only to find out he was talking to himself again.

"Hey kid, come here!" he called out to Dean. He hoped he could get the whole story out of him, since right now what was going on wasn't normal. "What's got you flittering around here like a girl?"

"Dude! A girl? Puhleeze, that would be a complete and total waste of this wonderful body, I assure you." Dean told his friend smugly. He knew that he'd told everyone about Ellie and her impromptu conversation, but he couldn't help it, it was so damn exciting!

"Uh huh… so you want to explain to me what's going on?" Lucas asked, knowing full well what he was getting himself into. For the next half hour Dean talked none stop about how Ellie had told Sam that she loved him, how Sammy was getting great grades, and even how convincing his brother to move into the house next to their parents was the best thing he could have thought of. He listened patiently, knowing that it wasn't often that Dean became sentimental even towards his family. Finally though the story died down and Dean looked as if he'd been in some race where his endurance had finally come to an end. "So, you feel better now?" he asked, watching Dean closely.

Smiling, Dean nodded, "Thanks man, it's just…"

"You're proud of them, and you should be Dean. Just chill a little, ok?" Lucas asked, knowing that it would be a cold day in hell before Dean stopped talking about his family's successes, but then again he didn't want him to. Being on the other end of the stick, Lucas knew how life was when no one cared if you lived or died. If Dean wanted to boast about his baby brother and niece, then who was he to say no?

Dean smiled and nodded. "Yeah… yeah man, I am." Dean agreed. No matter how many times he told the story, he couldn't get the sight of his brother holding onto Ellie after she spoke those three wonderful words. A lot of people may not think it a big deal, but to him it was the best moment in his life and he didn't mind letting people know about it.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry for the wait, I was moving a friend back home from out of state yesterday. Hope you enjoy this chapter... don't forget to let me know!

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Dr. Malloy watched as Sam Winchester looked up and down the aisles for the books needed for his set of classes. He had been impressed with Sam from the first meeting with the young man, and seeing him excel the last several months made him even more secure in his decision to become the boy's mentor. He had been lucky when one of his favorite advisors had taken him under his wing and guided him through the scholastic process. Now he felt he had the perfect opportunity to give back what his mentor had given him, but he was unsure how to go about it. After all, the young man was still getting acquainted with his family and he didn't want to detract from that.

As he watched the young man look over what books he would need, he noticed that although he would pick up the used books, he made sure he had every title mentioned for the class, even if it was categorized as optional. Curious, he decided to make his presence known and find out what was driving Sam to give himself a hernia with the stack of books he was already accumulating.

"Sam, you look to be attempting buying out the bookstore, any particular reason why?"

Startled, Sam almost dropped his stack of books, but was able to hang onto them even as he turned to see Dr. Malloy looking at him. "Sorry sir, I didn't see you there." Sam said hesitantly, wondering if he had missed a meeting with the professor.

Smiling, Dr. Malloy gazed at the stack of books. "My boy, may I give you some advice?" he asked then waited until Sam nodded. "I assure you that you will hardly need your book in Professor Hanson's class as he prefers to bore his students with his attempt at witty lectures, assuming that he knows more than the authors of the text he turned in as required reading. Mrs. Chatten will undoubtedly make sure that you use the main text, but will hardly utilize those other manuals therefore not even worth the outlandish price that you'll pay for only one or two assignments since the campus library has them as reference books. As for the other set, yes you'll need all of those I'm sorry to say."

Sam looked at Dr. Malloy and felt utter relief that he'd run into the man, he just saved him a couple hundred dollars and that was something that was greatly appreciated. He was just about to let the man know how much of a Godsend he was when the other man started to speak again.

"Sam, there's another reason why I came to you. Dr. Taylor and I have been discussing your progress and we are confident that you will continue to do so, however many people benefit from a guiding hand every now and again and…"

"Uh, Dr. Malloy, I sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm really just here to get an education… nothing else." Sam said hurriedly as he put his books down and rushed out of the bookstore.

Puzzled, Dr. Malloy watched Sam leave and wondered what had just occurred to cause such a reaction.

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Mary wasn't sure if she'd ever been around a more self centered group of individuals in her life and was thankful that she had decided not to be a part of their crusade any longer; who really cared if people hung their clothes outside anyway? Sighing in frustration from the whole ordeal, she was still trying to figure out how she had been convinced that the meeting was formed as an act of civil service instead of someone with a grudge.

Pulling into the driveway she was surprised to see her youngest son's truck parked at the curb, she had been sure that he was going to price text books today so they could write a check for him. Now though it appeared that whatever plans he'd had had changed, and for some reason it made her worry.

Walking across the yard to reach the side door, she wasn't sure what she would find, but whatever it was… this wasn't it. As she watched, Sam looked to be scrubbing the kitchen with a vengeance all the while every plate, pot, pan and flatware were zipping around the room in time with the motions of her son. Not wanting to startle him, but not knowing how to get his attention any other way, she decided to do the only thing she could think of… knock.

The sound of plates and cookware crashing to the floor sent Mary rushing in to see the panicked look on her son's face and quickly made her feel remorseful for scaring him anyway.

"Sammy, I'm so sorry." She said sadly, rushing to his side to help him to pick up the broken items. "I am so very sorry."

Sam looked at his mother and wondered what she was doing there, she wasn't due back for another couple of hours and he thought he had plenty of time to get his thoughts together. Not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment, but not wanting to seem rude he could only reply, "Did you need me for something?"

Looking at Sam she could tell that something big had to have happened today, but she had no idea how to get him to tell her. Smiling, she shook her head. "No Sammy, I just wanted to see how your day was. Were you able to find out about your books?"

Sitting back on his heals he looked at the woman in front of him and wondered how much he could tell her especially when he couldn't even admit what happened himself. How do you tell your mother that you were just hit on by a professor at your school?

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John stood and looked at the woman across from him and held back the urge to choke the last breath out of her. It wouldn't take much to do it, but then again if he ever wanted to watch Ellie grow up and his boys succeed in life then he needed to pull back his urges.

"So, do you mind telling me exactly why you're here?" he asked Ms. Chase, wishing the woman would just go away and leave his family alone.

Adrienne was getting the distinct impression that she wasn't wanted, and up to a point she understood, but she needed some answers and those could be most easily given to her by Johnny. "Mr. Winchester, I assure you that I don't want to cause any pain to Johnny, but…"

"A little late there don't you think?" John asked coldly while watching the woman squirm.

"I understand why you would think that. The more that I go over my old case files, the more I realize that I hadn't done my job as well as I had wished to believe. That's actually one of the reasons why I came, to ask Johnny about his case and to make sure that he is well and truly settled now." Adrienne said, trying to convey how much she really meant what she told him.

John looked at her and wondered just how badly this woman had messed up not only his son's life, but others as well. "How much do you really want to know Ms. Chase? Would you like to know how obviously no one really bothered to see if he had family who were worried sick about him, or maybe how he was tossed back and forth to the point that he didn't feel like he deserved a home, or maybe you want the whole truth where he thinks he's as crazy as what you made him out to be? I think that all of those are valid points, don't you?"

Standing in front of Johnny's father hadn't been so bad until he started to point out the flaws in the system that she had helped to create. Most of the time a child lost in the system never found a way out until they became an adult, but from what she had been told Johnny had made sure to get out as soon as he could and she knew that one of the most driving reasons was because of his desire not to be trapped anymore. Nodding, she somehow knew the answer even before she asked the question, "Does he still suffer from nightmares? That was one of my main concerns, he could never seem to get rid of them or remember what they were about."

"Yeah, he still gets them. He might not tell us, but we know." John said quietly, praying that the woman had her answers and would now leave his family alone.

Nodding, Adrienne turned to leave; she got her answers even if they weren't the ones she was looking for. Pausing at the door she turned around, "He seems to make a wonderful father."

Smiling with pride John answered simply, "Yes, he does."

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Mary helped Sam put the kitchen back together but worried about her son, he still hadn't told her what was bothering him and it was obvious that it was starting to eat at him. As she watched him find more things to occupy himself her concern grew to the point that she was contemplating calling John at the shop to see if he had any ideas. Before she had a chance to explore that idea further, his thoughts were interrupted by Sam asking a very unusual question.

"Uh, do you think I can borrow the Impala to pick Ellie up today? I'll make sure to pick Dad up on the way back." Sam said, wishing now he had just gone out and bought a starter someplace else, he hated asking for things.

Surprised, Mary reached in her purse and held out her set of keys. "Of course Sweetie, are you going now? I thought Ellie didn't get out of school until four."

Sam felt uncomfortable but tried a smile anyway. "I still need to get a part for the truck and I don't want to risk having to change it out in the parking lot."

Nodding, Mary knew there was something more than what he said, but also knew that her son wouldn't do anything to hurt them so she let it go… for now. All she really wanted to know was that he was alright, everything else would fall into place around it.

The doorbell interrupted any further conversation, making both Winchester's look puzzled. As Mary waited in the kitchen, Sam went to find out who was stopping in for a visit and he really hoped that it wasn't one of the churches stopping by to welcome him to the neighborhood again. As he opened the door he saw a casually dressed man in front of him and wondered who he was and what he wanted.

"Excuse me; I'm looking for a Johnny Doe or Samuel Winchester."

Mary heard the voices at the door and started to worry when there was suddenly silence and still no sign of her son. Walking through the dining room she saw him standing in the middle of the living room staring at a group of papers in his hand.

"Sammy, what's wrong honey?" she asked, terrified by the lost look on her son's face.

After several moments, Sam looked up and choked out, "Brittany's trying to take Ellie."


	5. Chapter 5

Mary stood dumbfounded for a moment before she was able to gather her thoughts and concentrate on what Sammy had said. "Brittany's Ellie's mother isn't she? What does she think she's doing, she can't just come into that little girl's life after five years and expect to be her mother!" Mary said incensed that this was even an issue. What judge in their right mind would allow the petition to even be drawn up to begin with?

Sam looked over the pages and although most of it didn't make sense, he could gather that basically Brittany had been suffering from severe depression during her pregnancy and afterwards he condition worsened, making her unable to care for Ellie at the time, but also not in her right mind to sign away parental rights. As he looked over everything he tried to answer the questions his mother was shooting at him, but mostly he didn't have any answers and there seemed to be an elephant sitting on his chest.

Seeing her son go from contemplative to hyperventilating in a matter of seconds stopped her questions and spurred her into action as she guided her son to the couch and helped him breathe through his panic attack. She had no idea what was in those pages, but she did know that they needed help with this.

"Sammy, I'm going to call a friend of ours, Craig Granger, he's an attorney and I'm sure he'll be able to help, ok?" she asked already dialing the number and impatiently waiting for someone to answer.

"_This is Craig."_

"Craig, its Mary, one of our boys has a problem and I'm hoping you can help."

There was a short pause as the sound of papers rustling around could be heard in the background. Finally the man came back to the phone.

"_I have a deposition in an hour and it's going to take awhile, but if it's real important I can swing by afterwards and talk to you about it."_

"That's fine, we'll be next door to our house, it's were the boys are now. I need to warn you though; we have a little girl who gets very uneasy around strangers so try not to be too loud, ok?"

The sound of Craig's puzzlement could be heard over the phone line as he tentatively responded, _"Okay Mary, I'll do my best. I'll see you soon."_

When she hung up she saw the questions on her son's face and smiled. "Craig is the one that kept me out of jail after you disappeared. He's also the one who helped your father and Mike form their partnership at the garage. Don't worry, he's a good man."

Sam had heard that before, but decided to give his mother the benefit of the doubt; after all she'd never lied to him before, right? Nodding, he got up and decided that now not only did he need to pick up Ellie and his dad, but also stop off and replace the dishes he broke earlier. He really needed to get a grip with the whole telekinesis thing otherwise they'd be broke in a year.

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Dean was feeling good! The whole day had just the right balance of excitement mixed with routine to make him happy to be at work. He was now in the process of washing one of the trucks and wasn't too surprised when a couple of ladies stopped by for a visit. After spending a few minutes with Sandy… Candy… Brandy… MANDY, and her very cute friend Jonna… Joanna…JAYNA, he was able to get their numbers for his next day off and he was already thinking about how they could spend it.

All in all he was having a great day. He knew that Ellie had school today and that she'd be a little more tired than usual, and that his little brother would bundle up the little princess and they would most likely cuddle on the couch and watch one of her movies until she fell asleep, then knowing Sammy like he did, the kid would start hitting the books for classes that he hadn't even started yet. Shaking his head he knew he'd probably never figure out his brother, but that was fine by him; he wasted too many years not knowing him, he wasn't going to complain now of some oddities.

"Hey Dean!"

Turning around he saw someone that he hadn't seen in months. "Hey Holly, how's your mom?" he asked, hoping that there was good news for a change. After getting Sammy away from Holly's boyfriend, he hadn't seen too much of the young woman, but knew that their mother's were still visiting together often.

Holly knew that she was probably the last person Dean wanted to see, but she had felt bad about how much she had actually helped Jason take Sam that she wanted to try to make it up to him.

"Mom's fine, she and Mary were talking about going on a little day trip in a couple of weeks, but they have to get the ok from one of Mom's doctor's first. Actually, I came to talk to you." She said, taking a moment to look around the firehouse before turning her attention back to him. Seeing the puzzlement on his face, she knew that he was probably thinking that something else had happened. "Don't worry, purely a social visit. You see… the school is having a campus picnic this weekend and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."

Dean looked at Holly and wasn't sure what to think. His first impulse was to tell her no since she had helped Jason get hold of his little brother. Then again she couldn't help who she fell for. Not wanting to lead her on, but not wanting to totally shut her out either Dean could only stall for time. "Uh, you know, I'm not sure what's going on at the moment. Can I call you and let you know after I get home and take a look at what my compulsive little brother has planned?"

Holly looked at Dean and saw not a complete brush off and for that she was thankful, after all it could have gone very badly just then. "Sure Dean, you know where to find me."

Watching her walk away, Dean wasn't sure what he should do. He knew that his mom would be thrilled, but then again there was the whole trust issue. 'Chill man, it's not like you're marrying her.' He thought as he shook himself out of his self induced dilemma. If anything, right now he just wanted to enjoy what he had, and at the moment that included his family which he was more than alright with.

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John didn't know what to think when he saw Mary skidding to a stop in front of the mid bay door. He really had no idea what to think when she yelled at him to hurry up and get in the car. Yelling at Mike, he quickly got into the passenger seat just in time for his wife to peel out of the drive and back into traffic.

"We're stopping off and getting chicken from the KFC down the street then we'll head home." Mary began, she had no idea how she was going to explain everything to John, but knew she needed to get started before he started his twenty questions and then she wouldn't be able to answer any of them. "Ellie's mother is trying to get custody; Sam just got served the papers today. I've already called Craig and he'll be on his way as soon as he finishes a deposition. She's claiming that she wasn't mentally competent to sign away her rights at the time and that she is now in a better position to take care of our little girl. Sammy went to pick Ellie up but we might have to stop off and give them a hand, the truck barely started when he left."

Hearing the words that were filtering through his brain, John wasn't sure what to make of it, and instead wondered if it would be better to go back to the shop and start all over again. As he looked at Mary he could see the determination on her face and knew that whatever happened, she wasn't giving up Ellie no matter what the courts decided. Suddenly a thought crossed his fogged mind and he couldn't help but ask, "Wait, Cade was fifteen when Ellie was born, wouldn't that make Brittany the same age? If so, she was a minor and her parents would have made the decision anyway, right?"

Mary looked at John and shrugged, they really didn't know anything about Ellie's mother except her name and that she and Cade had a falling out after she found out she was pregnant; everything else was a mystery. "John, I have no idea. I'm hoping that Craig can help because our baby boy is facing losing his little girl."

John knew that there was more to that statement, but wisely left it alone; they faced losing their granddaughter.

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Craig Granger had no idea what to think about the young man he met a short while ago. Sam was polite enough to shake his hand when he came through the door, but distracted enough with the little girl that his attitude was more of a 'take it or leave it' sort of mentality. The girl in question was an intriguing part of the family who never said a word but hummed during dinner and never once looked at one particular thing for more than a few seconds. After it was obvious that she wasn't going to eat anything else, Sam patiently cleaned her up before settling her in the living room with a drawing pad and a box of colored pencils, then came back and asked about the case.

The whole case was based on the assumption that Brittany Reed had not been in her right mind when she signed away her rights, and that by the time she came to her senses, Sam (or at the time, Johnny) had kidnapped the baby giving her to the father; a Cade Hart. From what Sam said though, a judge gave Cade sole custody of Ellie through all the proper and legal channels making Ms. Reed's claim that it had been done clandestinely absurd. Now though, Cade was dead and the custody given to Johnny Doe who was in all actuality Sam Winchester.

He remembered the whole kidnapping fiasco and that so many were willing to throw Mary to the wolves. Admittedly he hadn't been too convinced of her innocence at first, but had made a point to reserve judgment until getting the whole story which actually shed a lot of light on Mary's character. After speaking to the people who knew her best, and seeing the investigative reports, he was confident that she had nothing to do with her baby's disappearance. Now he was sitting across from the same baby only now he was a young man who from what he could tell had a very interesting life.

"Alright, the first thing we need to do is get the hearing moved from New York to Kansas courts. It shouldn't be too hard considering Ellie's condition and that any upset could be detrimental to her well being. Afterwards, we'll set up a case that since Ms. Reed actually had to have her parents sign any legal document, and her claim should be automatically nullified. I'm not saying that it's a slam dunk, but I am saying that you shouldn't worry about this. It'll take time mostly, and a lot of patience, but the most important thing is what is best for Ellie." He told Sam before looking at the elder Winchester's gauging their reaction.

He knew that Mary was gearing up for a fight, and John was most likely estimating how much equity they had in the house in case they needed it. John had called him once they had found Sam and had explained what had been going on, then asked if he'd be willing to represent them in any legal aspect that might come up. At the time he had advised John to take a wait and see approach considering they didn't know what could be hiding in the shadows of Johnny's past, but his friend wouldn't hear of it. Now though as he watched the family, he knew without a doubt that John had been right, and he was more than thankful for it.

"Well, its getting late and I have my work cut out for me to get everything done in a timely manner." Craig said as he stood. "Sam, it was nice meeting you and Ellie, I plan to make sure you two are together for a very long time. Now, I'll see myself out and will let you know every step of the way of what's going on."

As they watched the attorney leave, the Winchesters knew that they could have a tough time coming up, but also hoped that the man who just left wasn't filling them with false hope. Mary and John watched as Sammy took the picture that Ellie had just finished and put it on the wall next to the stairs. They were continually amazed at how wonderful her pictures were and thankful that they seemed to help bring her out into their world more.

"I don't want Dean to know until he comes home, I don't want him distracted while working. When he gets back I'll make sure to fill him in on everything, but… just not right now." Sam said as he turned back around to face the others. He knew that his parents had wanted to call Dean and have him join them for the meeting if possible, but Sam was determined to make sure his brother had his head where it belonged, even if that meant that for the next couple of days he was going to have to deal with this situation on his own.

Although they didn't like it, the eldest Winchester's nodded before settling back into the couch so they could watch their little granddaughter play with her dolls before bed. They hoped they weren't watching the peaceful scene in front of them for one of the last times, while Sam hoped that he could hold on to his family that had grown quite a bit and had become the most important aspect of his life; he didn't know if he'd be able to continue without Ellie though, and he prayed he would never have to.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So sorry for the wait, I'm borderline exhausted and am wondering where my mind has decided to go party at now. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, let me know what you think. OH... and if anyone happens to see my mind, please tell it to come home. Thanks!

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Dean was happy to be home. Not that he had a rough time at work, in fact the last couple of days had been fairly routine with the occasional heart attack scare, and baby locked in the car, but there was just something about being home that made him feel a lot better. Pulling into the driveway he wondered how much studying Sammy had been doing while he was gone, but knew that it was an idiosyncrasy of his brother's that he found oddly comforting. Shaking his head at the thought of his little brother studying himself into an early grave could give him any comfort at all; he took the key out of the ignition with the firm resolve to send Sammy to bed once he got inside.

Walking into the house through the kitchen door was something he'd done practically everyday since moving in, he knew the look and feel and he also knew when someone had been happy or sad. It was just a feeling that could be picked up on and he knew he'd never be able to do it anywhere else. So when he walked in he knew something was wrong, terribly wrong and he couldn't quite grasp what he saw. For one thing the kitchen was spotless, as in 'someone took a toothbrush to it' clean. The second thing he immediately noticed was there were no books, no laptop, and no little brother lying on the kitchen table needing to be put away or tucked into bed for a few hours of real sleep. It wasn't just weird, it was a little scary.

Going into the dining room he quickly saw a pattern; it was as if some maniacal clean freak had gone through and completely gave the house a once over, then decided to do it again. It wasn't that there house was a mess before, they were normally able to keep any clutter nonexistent, and the dirt to a normal livable level. Sammy was usually the one to clean the house, but he wasn't obsessive about it to the point of being in an uproar if a sudden speck of dirt dared to intrude on their home. Besides, they had a little girl who liked to express herself in different ways, and after the flour angels at mom's house, it had become a weekly tradition. Now though, he couldn't understand what he was seeing; it was as if he was in a whole other house, even the painted woodwork shone brighter than before. 'What the hell?' he wondered as he made himself walk into the living room to see what else was different.

He thought he was prepared, he really did, but then again he'd been wrong before. He stood stock still in the doorway and just stared at what was in front of him. His brother Sammy looked to be passed out on the couch with his head tilted back and one foot on the coffee table. There were papers everywhere; on the couch, on the floor, on the coffee table, on Sammy himself; and there was nothing Dean could do to be able to comprehend the contrast between that and the rest of the room that was just as spotless and gleaming with a faint smell of lemon or oranges hanging slightly in the air. Knowing he was probably being selfish but feeling like he needed answers more than Sammy needed sleep, he reached over to wake his brother only to pause when he noticed a copy of a news article that seemed to be about a battle over adoption reversal. Curious he glanced at several other articles that looked to be along the same lines; custody battles, adoption problems, parental rights being terminated only to be reinstated. 'Ok, again… what the hell?" he thought. The sound of paper rustling brought him around and made him take another look at his brother; he didn't like what he saw.

"Sammy, you ok?" he asked, concerned about what could have happened in the three days he was gone to make his little brother look like a terminally ill patient and move like an old man.

Sam looked around before looking up at his very concerned brother. "Damn Dean, when'd you ge' here?"

Amused, Dean leaned back a little and watched Sammy struggle to get off the couch and stumble towards the kitchen. Following closely, he couldn't help but think that his brother might be a man now, but could still pull off the little kid look with his hair sticking up at odd angles.

"So Sammy, what's going on?" he asked his brother while taking his post at the breakfast bar watching him make coffee.

Bleary eyed, Sam paused a minute before looking back over at Dean. "Uh… can you give me a minute? I'm not blowing you off man, it's just I really need a cup of coffee before we start this."

That should have sent warning bells raging through Dean's skull but instead he allowed himself the luxury of momentary ignorant bliss. Whatever was going on had his brother tied up in knots if the sight before him was any indication. Sam was holding a mug under the coffee machine, waiting for it to fill before switching it with the carafe. Watching the kid gulp down the hot dark brew without any sugar, milk, or even time to cool gave Dean a glimpse into the mindset is brother was in. He was just about to ask again what was going on when Sammy's voice broke his train of thought and sent his world crashing down around his ears.

"Ellie's mother is back and wants to take her away."

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John and Mary sat in their kitchen staring into their cups of coffee lost in their own thoughts, neither wanting to disturb the other with their own selfish musings. They heard Dean's car pull into his driveway and knew that by now he'd seen the number his brother had done on the house. Neither one of them had been able to stop their youngest boy from his mad cleaning spree; it was almost like he was possessed. So they both watched as he had taken out his fears and frustrations on the counters, walls, carpet, tile, and anything else that even seemed to suggest it was becoming tempted to allow dirt near it. Even as they watched though, they both suspected that if he wasn't the one responsible for Ellie, if he didn't have her to watch over, then he would have gone out and relieved his tensions in a more dangerous setting.

Neither one wanted to think about the possibility of Ellie not being with them anymore. Neither one wanted to contemplate what that would mean to their family in general and their Sammy specifically. Both boys had seemed to settle down, neither one rushing off at odd hours doing only God knew what, but now they were looking at the possibility of things going back to the way before, and neither one knew if they were strong enough to watch either Dean or Sammy fall back into the life they were leading before that sweet little girl came along.

Standing, John went to the phone and called the garage. After talking to Mike for a minute he hung up and let out a deep breath before looking back to Mary. "Let's get this over with." He told her, knowing that by now Dean was finding out what had happened while he was at work, and most likely wasn't taking it too well.

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Dean looked at his brother and stared. He could hear the words slamming around in his head, could hear the devastation in Sammy's voice, could even see the truth burning in the kid's eyes, but he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it.

"Wh-What?" he asked, sure that he hadn't heard correctly, or maybe someone slipped him something as a joke when he wasn't looking.

Letting out a deep breath, Sam nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I got served the papers, and have an attorney looking into everything." He knew that he was hitting Dean with everything at once, but he couldn't seem to pull his thoughts in order enough to tell him any other way.

Confused, Dean looked at his brother before looking at the calendar, he felt like he'd been gone months instead of days. "Sammy, when did you find out about this?" he asked, hoping that it was yesterday, preferably last night, but had a feeling that he was wrong.

Sighing, Sam poured another cup of coffee for him and one for Dean before answering. "A couple of days ago. I didn't want you to be distracted while you were at work, and I wanted to get more information before laying this one you."

"Laying this on me." Dean said quietly, not exactly sure how he should take what his little brother just said. He was just about to add something else to his statement when the door opened and his parents walked in looking like someone kicked their puppy.

"Dean, have you and Sammy had a chance to talk yet?" John asked, not liking what he was seeing.

Sam shook his head. "I was just starting to tell him, but we haven't gotten very far."

"Haven't gotten very far." Dean echoed feeling more like a parrot than a grown man. "Would someone care to fill me in? I mean seriously people… what the hell?"

Mary knew that look and knew that they were running out of time before Dean lost his temper and completely shut himself off from everyone. "Dean, calm down for a minute so Sammy can fill you in."

Looking over at his mom, Dean bit his tongue to keep from lashing out. He couldn't figure out what was going on and why someone hadn't called him, did he not even rate that consideration. Turning his attention back to Sammy he motioned for him to continue.

"Look Dean, it was a surprise to all of us and if you want to be mad then be mad at me, I'm the one who wanted to wait about telling you." Sam said while rubbing his tired eyes. "We've already discussed the case with an attorney and he's sent over copies of articled from across the country that has to do with bizarre custody battles. He's sure that we'll win if for no other reason than her parent's signed the forms for Ellie to be adopted, but he has to get our case moved here otherwise we could end up flying back and forth." He saw that Dean wasn't satisfied but he was suddenly not up to filling in the blanks for him. Reaching over he pulled a folder off the table and handed it to him. "Here's the papers I was served along with what Mr. Granger sent back. I need to get Ellie up and ready, so let me know if you have any questions."

Dean watched Sammy walk out of the kitchen and didn't know what to do. He knew his parents wanted to talk, but he just had no idea what to say at the moment. Opening the folder, he started looking over the pages inside and was instantly incensed when the realization hit him that this woman waited five years before pulling this stunt without even coming to meet Ellie to begin with. The sound of the phone ringing pulled him out of his reverie and he looked over to ask, "Why is she doing this now?"

Any response he was going to get was interrupted by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor upstairs and Ellie calling out for Johnny.

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Too tired to really concentrate on what was being said in the kitchen, Sam was more than willing to get out of there so he could get Ellie ready for school. He knew that if Dean found out how much sleep he'd actually gotten the last several nights, he'd make sure to sic their mom on him and that would just add to his worries, not alleviate them.

Sighing, he managed to wake up his little princess without too much fuss and even helped her get dressed before the phone rang, making him jump at the possibility that it was Craig with bad news. Making sure Ellie was alright by herself, he answered the phone in the hallway hoping that he was just being paranoid and that it was just a phone solicitor or some other inconsequential thing. What he heard however made his blood run cold and everything else turn grey.

"_Hey kiddo, how's it going?"_


	7. Chapter 7

Dean had no idea what to expect, but he knew that if Ellie was calling out to his brother then the situation had to be bad. He didn't remember running through the dining room, or overturning a chair in the process. He wouldn't be able to recall later how he took the stairs three at a time in hopes of getting to Sammy quicker. All that he would have burned into his brain for the rest of his life was the sight of his little brother passed out on the floor with the phone still clutch in his hand like a lifeline.

"Ellie, Ellie sweetie, go find Grandma. Go on baby." He said with as much calm as he could gather as he rushed to Sammy's side looking for any signs as to what could have caused this. Feeling the pulse beneath his fingers, Dean felt a sudden sense of relief even thought the beating was faster than what he normally was comfortable with; right now he was just happy to know his brother was still with him. Picking up the receiver, he listened but didn't hear anything which clued him in that someone was still on the other end. "Who the hell is this?" he bellowed over the phone line, demanding to know who dared to cause this situation in the first place. When he heard the click and dial tone he knew that he wasn't going to get an answer that way so turned his attention back to the one person who might be able to fill him in. "Sammy, hey buddy I need you wake up now."

Sam had no idea what was going on. He had thought he heard Ellie call out to him which caused a bolt of panic to shoot through him but for some reason he wasn't able to pull himself out of the darkness that he felt immersed in. He felt a slight trembling under him and wondered about it until he heard a familiar voice and knew it was Dean and he had ran up the stairs, still though he couldn't seem to pull himself together even after feeling his brother's fingers on his throat. It wasn't until Dean started to shake him that he felt the hold over him slip away slightly, enough for him to claw his way back to whatever place he was supposed to be. It took a few more moments than he liked, but he was finally able to crack open his eyes and look around.

"What happened?" he asked, noting his brother's worried look as well as his father's defensive stance.

"What happened… _what happened_? We were sort of hoping you could tell us! We were talking in the kitchen and the phone rang then we heard your very ungraceful swan dive!" Dean said with as much sarcasm as he could pull together through the fear that had hold of him like a vice.

Looking around, Sam had no idea what Dean was talking about… well, not really anyway, because if he started thinking about it too much he'd have to admit that he had completely lost his mind and that was something he just couldn't deal with… at least not right now. "Uh… wrong number I think." He stated as he managed to pull himself off the floor. He knew it sounded lame, but he needed some time to pull himself together; just some time to come to terms with what obviously must be happening and what it would mean for Ellie and his family. If he really was out of his head then he didn't want to be a burden to anyone, or a danger to Ellie. If he…

"Wrong number? Damn Sammy, if you're going to lie to us at least come up with something good!" Dean exclaimed as he stalked back towards the stairs leaving his dad and brother alone.

John knew that something was going on, and whatever it was was scaring his youngest boy to death. He watched as Sammy turned towards him with confusing marking every part of his face and mannerisms. "Son?"

Pulled out of his daze, Sam wasn't sure how to answer, so gave what he could. "It had to have been a wrong number… there's no way…"

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Mary had settled Ellie at the breakfast bar and watched as the little girl ate some cereal. She knew that John and Dean would take care of everything but that didn't keep her from wondering what was going on. She didn't have to wait too long for her to hear the front door open and slam shut, giving her the sense that Dean was upset and since he wasn't yelling for 911, then she knew it wasn't a matter of life or death.

Watching Ellie eat, she forced herself not to look towards the door, knowing that would drive both of them bonkers in no time. She instead busied herself with making a list of items that she knew the little girl in front of her liked and read them to her to see what her reaction would be. Satisfied that she had Ellie's attention, she smiled. "Hey sweetheart, how about you and me play hooky and go to the zoo today?" she asked, hoping that Ellie was in one of her good days and was more than willing to do something different, just the two of them.

Ellie paused with her spoon half way between the bowl and her mouth, and then with a moment of looking straight at Mary, she nodded before resuming her breakfast.

With that settled, Mary felt confident that the rest of the day would go a lot smoother. Hearing John's heavier footsteps followed by Sam's much lighter ones, she knew that she'd have to clear it with her son first, but then again she also knew that she had him wrapped around her finger so she wasn't worried about being turned down.

When the pair of Winchester men walked back into the kitchen she could tell that something was going on but one wasn't talking and the other was completely oblivious as to what to do about it. She knew she would be able to find out what happened upstairs from John, but for right now she needed a different type of answer.

"Sammy, I was hoping that Ellie could spend the day with me today." Mary started, gauging her son's reaction in case he started to protest. When all she got was a blank stare she started to worry and was just about to ask him if he was ok when he answered.

Sam had followed his dad through the house totally oblivious to everything around him. It wasn't until he got into the kitchen that he felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. There they were his mom and his little girl sharing a moment with each other just like so many other people did everyday and it hit him that his days with his family just like this could very well be numbered. Hearing his mom's question, he didn't have the heart to argue over school, or schedules, he just wanted them to get as many moments together as they could because he was worried that either Ellie would be taken away… or he would.

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He knew he was over reacting but then again who wouldn't under these circumstances. It hadn't been that long since his little brother had been kidnapped and almost murdered, so when someone calls and causes the kid to pass out… well, he has a tendency to take it a little personally.

Although at the moment he was pretty upset with his little brother too, after all he hadn't called to tell him what was going on; this was important damnit! So yeah, he felt his anger was more than a little justified. Then again, the confused look on Sammy's face when he woke really made him wonder what could have been so bad to have put that unbelievably lost look on his face.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and knew what he had to do. He needed to put everything to the side and get back in there and do what he did best… look after his family. Sammy may be more than competent in taking care of himself and Ellie, but he had a feeling that the kid was in way over his head and was going to need everyone on the same to get through this. Which meant that big brother needed to pull his head out of his derriere, as his mom would occasionally say, and get back in the game.

Rushing back inside, he missed the white convertible that was slowly making its way through the neighborhood and slowed down even more in front of the house before taking off down the street.

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With the wonderful weather, Mary and Ellie were able to see all of the outer exhibits and they were taking full advantage of it; well, Mary was at least. Ellie's attention would grab hold of one animal for a few moments before she'd start humming to herself and looking around as if she knew everyone could hear the music she heard in her head. All in all they both were having a wonderful time and Mary had even successfully gotten Ellie to eat an ice cream cone, making that an even bigger highlight of the day than anything else they could think of.

As Mary was taking a moment to finish wiping off Ellie's hands of the stick concoction, she was so engrossed in conversation with the little girl she failed to notice the shadow that fell across her until a woman spoke from right next to her.

"Oh my goodness, isn't she just a doll!"

Startled, Mary whipped around and brought herself to her full height. She wasn't sure what was going on, but something about this young woman actually set her defenses on high alert. Looking over the woman, Mary noticed that she looked familiar somehow but couldn't place a name to the face.

"Is she yours?" the woman said enthusiastically while looking over Ellie with what could only be described as greedy eyes.

"My Granddaughter actually. Have we met?" Mary asked, taking Ellie's hand and holding her tightly to her side.

The young woman smiled and shook her head. "Oh I don't think so. I just noticed what a beautiful girl you have. She seems so shy, is she ok?"

"I assure you there's nothing wrong with her. Now if you'll excuse me Miss…"

The woman smiled and walked off with a wave as if they were friends who had just bumped into them.

Shaking her head, Mary wasn't sure what to think about the blonde haired blue eyed young lady. Knowing that Ellie had to be getting tired, Mary silently agreed that they had enough for the day and more than willingly led her little princess towards the car so they could go home. It wasn't until they were halfway to the car that Mary stopped suddenly and looked at the little girl whose hand she clutched tightly. Suddenly she knew who the young lady reminded her of; suddenly she understood that she had just met Brittany.

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Sam was sitting at the dining room table with a pile of papers scattered all over the place and a beer in his hand. He had already gone over everything with Dean and was now waiting to hear what his brother had to say about this whole mess. The whole house was quiet except for the occasional rustling of a page being turned or a scratching of pencil on paper where one of them would make a note.

Their dad had decided to go check on the shop then grab some lunch on the way back, borrowing Dean's car in the process. The subject of Sammy's truck had been a strained issue, one that the youngest Winchester avoided, making the others wonder what the real issue was but knew to wait for the answer.

"Ok, so she's coming out of the woodwork now for what reason?" Dean asked, trying hard to figure out someone's reasoning for just appearing out of the clear blue sky.

Not knowing what to say, Sam stayed quiet and watched as his brother tried to piece together the puzzle that was turning his life into a living nightmare. Taking another drink of his beer it was easy to pretend he was otherwise occupied, anything other than fill Dean on the rest of the bad news. Taking a deep breath, he pushed that thought out of his mind and concentrated on what was right there in front of them, what they could change as long as the law was on there side.

Knowing his little brother was nervous, Dean tried to find a way to ease the tension but fell short when his mind suddenly drew a blank. This wasn't anything to joke about. From what he had read already, this whole situation was a mess. At the very best the case would be dragged through the courts for several years costing tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and disrupting Ellie's life on a continual basis, and the very worst was similar except they wouldn't have Ellie at the end of it all. As he looked across the table he could see his brother's eyes and knew the weight that lay on his shoulders. Determined to ease the burden, Dean vowed to do whatever he had to, to make sure the later didn't happen.

The sound of the door being flung open pulled both boys out of their thoughts, but it was the terrified voice of their mother that made them both jump up and run into the kitchen where they were met with her tear stained face and Ellie clinging to her like a koala bear.

"Oh my God! She's here, she's here and she was so close… I'm so sorry Sammy, I didn't know." Mary cried out, terrified of what could have happened while thankful that it hadn't. "Brittany's here, she saw us at the zoo and I didn't know who she was! She knows Sammy; she knows who Ellie is now!"


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother's Day... I know I have! By the way... one of my kiddos turned 18 today, so... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!

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John was almost to the point of knocking heads together and it had nothing to do with the customer who tried to stiff him two hundred and fifty dollars. This time it had more to do with the mystery known as Sam and the more he tried to solve it, the more complex it seemed to become.

Putting his tools away, he waved bye to Mike and Derrick as they headed out the door. It should have been a simple gesture, one that he'd done too many times to count. Now though he felt like he was playing a part in someone else's play and it didn't set well with him. It had been two days since Brittany had approached Mary and Ellie and he was still fuming about that, however that was the least of their problems. Ever since finding out that Ellie's mother was in town, it was as if a switch had been flipped in Sammy and no one could seem to break through it. Sure, Sam went through the motions fine, but something was missing and it was actually starting to scare him.

The phone ringing made him groan in weariness, it was getting to the point that he wanted to yank the damn thing out of the wall. Reaching over, he answered it brusquely and knew that this was a surprise that he would have never thought of.

"Mr. Winchester, my name is Brittany and I need to talk to you about Johnny."

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Although he was outside with a beautiful girl while getting reacquainted with some of his college friends, Dean was feeling more than a little out of place. He really wanted to be home trying to talk some sense into his little brother who at that very moment was trying to see if he could scrub the color off painted walls. If it hadn't been for the fact that Sammy had basically kicked him out of the house with express orders to 'have some fun' he would still be in the process of trying to find out what had the kid so freaked.

He thought about the last couple of days and didn't like what was running through his head. Sure the news of Ellie's mother showing up was a blow, but Dean knew that was just the tip of the iceberg as to why his little brother hadn't let Ellie out of his sight even for a moment, not even to go to the bathroom or go to school. That had been an odd moment, watching Sammy not only get Ellie ready for a day at her school, but himself as well. Something was going on and he had a feeling that it was much more than Brittany's case and he wished he could get Sammy to talk about it.

"Dean, are you alright?" Holly asked, knowing that something had been bothering Dean all day.

Startled out of his thoughts, Dean turned his attention back to the girl in front of him and smiled. He hadn't meant to space out like that, but honestly he still felt a little uneasy around her if for no other reason than she had unwittingly helped someone kidnap his brother. Sighing, he laid back on the grass and looked at the sky for a moment before answering. "Holly, I know our moms are friends and all, but I don't really think this is going to work." Dean tried to sound sympathetic, but he could only manage indifferent. He had way too much stuff going on for him to worry about how her feelings were being hurt by him not giving them a try. He knew she was staring at him, and he was just about to ask if she was alright when a shadow joined them.

"Dean Winchester? Oh my, am I happy to see you! Do you have a moment?"

Dean looked over and wondered what was so important, that Dr. Mallory would approach him on a Saturday during a school function. Motioning for the man to join them, he noticed the older man was nervous and Dean was sure that he hadn't threatened anyone on the staff… in awhile.

Dr. Mallory knew this was quite unorthodox, and normally he wouldn't do something so crass as interrupt an informal occasion for something of this magnitude, but he felt it was more than necessary to find out for himself what had happened. "Mr. Winchester, I was hoping you could tell me how your brother is doing, if there has been a family crisis or perhaps an illness?"

Confused, Dean looked first at Holly then at the professor before slowly nodding. "Actually Dr. Mallory, we're gearing up for what could be a hell of a custody battle for Ellie. Why, is there a problem?"

"Actually, I had noticed that Sam had withdrawn from his summer schedule and…"

"WHAT!" Dean yelled, quickly getting up to his feet. He knew his brother was freaked, but this was beyond what he had expected. "What do you mean he withdrew? He was buying books earlier this week for Christ's sake!"

Looking around, Dr. Mallory knew that this was a delicate matter, but it was already too late to stop the conversation. "Actually, I saw Sam about to purchase his books and we had a discussion that I'm still perplexed about."

Suspicious, Dean looked the professor over before turning to Holly. "I hate to do this, but do you thing we could…"

"It's ok Dean, I already got my answer. I hope you find yours." Holly said as she quickly gathered up their things and headed towards her car.

Watching Holly leave, Dean suddenly felt bad but knew he needed to focus on the conversation at hand. "Ok, what conversation, and what about it has you wondering about my brother?" he asked, his expression darkening with suspicion.

"Oh, well, you see he was purchasing all the books that were suggested for each class and I pointed out which ones he would need and which ones he could do without. He seemed very appreciative about the advice and seeing the opportunity I started talking to him about another matter but he said the strangest thing before he put all the books down and walked out of the bookstore." Seeing Dean's impatient expression, Dr. Mallory nodded. "He said, 'I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm really just here to get an education… nothing else.' I honestly had no idea how to respond to that, but now I see I should have said something. Obviously I misspoke and upset him, but I have no idea why or what would make him want to skip the summer term when he wanted to get as many credits he could in a short amount of time."

Dean thought about what the professor said and wondered about it himself. "Dr. Mallory, what _exactly_ did you say to my brother before he said that?" he asked, praying he was wrong. There was just no way that a simple miscommunication could have happened to his little brother, especially not something like _that_.

"Well, I was explaining that myself and several others had noticed how hard he had been working and that he held a lot of promise, but that often a student can benefit from extra guidance and…"

Holding up a hand, Dean looked at the man before him, "I'm going to jump out on a limb here and assume that you weren't trying to make a pass at my brother." Seeing the shocked look on the professor's face he nodded, "I'm also going to go so far as to jump to the next tree and guess that you were trying to offer your knowledge as a sort of mentor to him?" he asked, already seeing what happened in his head and didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, or hit something because of the way his brother had grown up thinking that a person's kindness always came with a price tag attached.

"I apologize if I've offended him in any way, it wasn't…"

"Dr. Mallory, don't worry too much about it. I'll talk to him and try to figure it out. You have to realize though, he wasn't hearing what you were saying; he was seeing what you were offering." Dean said quietly before he left the very confused man behind.

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Although glad that Dean wasn't in the house anymore, Sam was happy he wasn't alone. Ellie had made sure to stay next to him all day and that gave him more comfort than he had thought possible. He knew he was freaking people out, but with Brittany around and the paranoia he was starting to feel, he felt more than justified in acting a little weird.

Looking over to make sure Ellie was still engrossed in the movie currently playing; he pulled out the papers again and tried to make some sense of them. He knew that Craig was working diligently to get the case moved to Kansas, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something more to all of this than what they saw. It had been five years since that day in the hospital after Ellie had been born and his life changed forever. He'd never forget how Brittany didn't want to see her baby or anyone for that matter until it was time to go home and then she was her normal self centered self.

Shaking his head, Sam still wasn't sure what Cade saw in her, but was glad that Ellie had come out of something that horrendous. He couldn't imagine what would have happened to them if the little girl hadn't been born. Putting the papers down, he tried to rub the tension away but it seemed to continue to build until the pain in his head couldn't be escaped. Taking as deep of a breath that he could manage, he reached for the phone and thanked whatever it was who gave him the inspiration to put pictures next to the speed dial buttons. Pushing the button close to the top he waited until he heard the other party pick up and he started without waiting.

"Mom, can you come over, we really need you right now."

He didn't know what her answer was, or even if it was her and not his dad, but he did know that he and Ellie would have company in just a few minutes, all he had to do was wait. The beckoning darkness was too strong though, and his last thought was how he hoped Ellie was still watching her movie.

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After having the strangest conversation with Brittany, John was happy to be in his driveway away from everything at the moment. He knew he shouldn't feel stressed out about what was going on, but it was hard considering how he knew it was affecting his family. Rubbing his hand over his face he was ready to go inside, drink a couple of beers and maybe try to convince a certain little princess to go fishing. Feeling as if a plan was now in motion, he easily slid out of the Impala and made his way into the kitchen where he saw Mary fixing some sandwiches and a thermos of lemonade.

"I thought you'd like to head out for awhile, maybe get some fishing in before dinner." Mary said knowingly. Ever since they'd met, if John had a tough week, he'd go fishing after work on Saturday, it was something he did and she wouldn't change that about him.

Content in knowing that his wife still knew him so well even after so many years, John was just about to nod in appreciation when the phone on the wall rang. Smiling to Mary, he reached over and hadn't even managed a 'Hello' when the voice on the other end sent his heart skipping.

"_Mom, can you come over, we really need you right now."_

Not bothering to explain, he yelled over his shoulder "Something's wrong." as he raced out of the house with Mary close behind.

Knowing that Sammy had become fanatical about locking all the doors and windows lately, John already had his key out when he reached the kitchen door. Letting himself in, he heard the television in the living room but nothing else, which worried him more than anything. Cautiously making his way through the dining room, he noticed that everything seemed to be hovering a couple of inches of where they belonged, telling him that whatever was going on was causing his boy a lot of stress and it wasn't necessarily a good thing. He paused at the doorway not sure what to expect, but praying that it wasn't as bad as what he suspected; John first turned to Mary then made his way into the living room.

Ellie was watching a movie, apparently oblivious to the items floating around, but it was Sam that had both John and Mary worried. Seeing their son's head tilted back at that angle, while his eyes were closed, made chills run up and down both their spines. Fearing the worst, they made their way towards their son and John reached out to feel his forehead. Breathing a sigh of relief, John turned and smiled weakly at Mary before turning his attention back towards their youngest son.

"Sammy… hey Sammy." He gently called, hoping to rouse the younger man with startling him. Seeing that he wasn't having an effect, he turned to Ellie. "Ellie, sweetheart, think you can wake Johnny up for us?"

Ellie turned her head towards them and looked for a moment before standing and walking towards the couch. Climbing up onto the cushions, she curled up next to Johnny and started humming while she laid her head on his chest.

Sam knew something was going on, but wasn't able to pull his thoughts together enough to figure out what. The pain in his head was excruciating but he knew that he needed to push past it, Ellie needed him. The thought of the little girl being alone while he was incapacitated was enough to spur him on to find a way back, even if it meant dealing with the pain knifing through his brain.

John saw Sammy's eyes flutter and he would never be able to explain the relief he felt at that moment. Whatever had happened, they'd deal with, but right now he really needed to see his son's eyes. Looking over he saw the same worried expression on Mary's face that he was sure was on his own. Checking the time, he was starting to grow concerned that he should call someone for help, but was pulled out of that thought when he felt Sammy stir and heard items fall back into place with only an occasional crash.

Looking around, Sam groaned when he noticed his parents watching him closely and felt Ellie snuggled close to him. Although the headache hadn't receded, it was much more manageable and he knew that given a few moments he might be able to block it completely out.

"You alright son?" John asked while Mary went to get something cold to drink and a few aspirins from the kitchen.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Sam could only nod before he gave Ellie a kiss on the top of her head and asked her to go to her room for awhile. After making sure he heard the bedroom door close, he turned back to his parents.

"There's something you need to know."

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Dean wasn't sure why he was at this particular bar at this particular time except that a friend of his called and told him to meet there ASAP. Now he was nursing his second beer and was wondering what had possessed him to spend the rest of his afternoon waiting on someone that he hadn't heard from in months, especially with everything that was going on at home. Checking the time once again, he told himself he'd finish his beer and if Brian still hadn't shown up he was calling it quits, heading home and spoiling the hell out of his little princess.

"Hey man, sorry we're late… got caught up with something you know?"

Looking over he saw his friend from college sauntering up with a cute chick and wondered what the hell was going on. Trying not to convey his confusion, Dean just gave a nod and motioned for the waitress to bring another round of beers as he tried to decipher the vibe he was getting from the guy.

"Man, Mattie you won't believe what's been going on! Oh… by the way, this is Brit, she's here on some sort of business. Aren't you doll?" Brian said while looking his girl over with appreciation.

Brit looked around before settling her eyes on Dean and smiled, "Mmmm hmmm, some personal business that will lead to something bigger and better later."

Not sure where this was really going, Dean looked between Brian and Brit and something started to click in the back of his brain. "So Brit, how long have you been in Lawrence?"

"Not very long. How do you know Brian, Matt?" she asked, trying to split her attention between Dean and Brian.

"We had a few classes together. How about you, how'd you two meet?" Dean asked as he took another sip of beer. He was pretty sure he now knew what was going on and he had to wonder how Brian found Ellie's mother.

Brian started to laugh, "She fell in my lap man… literally! One minute I'm sitting at that little sidewalk café enjoying my laptop and it's awesome internet connection, and the next I'm catching her with my lap after she was pushed off the sidewalk. Amazing, huh?"

Watching Brittany, Dean responded, "Yeah, amazing." He wasn't convinced about that this whole thing wasn't some sort of setup, but he was more than willing to see where it went. "So how long are you staying…_Brit_?"

Smiling, Brittany lowered her voice so that only the two men with her could here. "I'm here for an investment opportunity of a lifetime and Brian tells me that you could probably help me."

Flicking his gaze to Brian, Dean could tell that the other man was practically begging him to keep it going until the punchline was revealed. "Ok, I'll bite, how can I help?"

"I need custody of my daughter but I need to make sure that an obstacle is taken care of first so there's no chance of losing her again."

The uneasy feeling was now turning out to be an all out alarm when he asked what he and Brian had to do and then listened to her answer.

"I'll pay you a lot if you take care of a guy. He normally goes by the name of Johnny Doe but has changed it to Sam Winchester. You get him out of my way and neither you or Brian will ever have to work again."


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Normally I wouldn't have posted this so quickly, but I had a couple of requests for a quicker turn around... hope it lives up to your expectations, let me know!

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Sam wasn't sure how to begin, especially with the pressure still making its presence known in his head making it difficult to concentrate on one subject for very long. Looking at his parents, he worried about what he had to say and how it would affect them, but it was something they needed to know.

"Brittany knows things about me, things that she won't have any problems telling people about and once she talks to a judge then she could get Ellie." He said as he looked at both his mom and dad with misery. Watching as they sat down, he knew they'd listen, but he didn't know what they would say when they found out…

"Sam, before you begin we need you to know that we already know quite a bit. A friend of mine from the Marines investigated you after you came back to us, and although he didn't tell us everything, he left his notes with us to go over when we felt the need." John said quietly, watching the horror dawn on his son's face. "Sammy, you have to realize that we had no idea how to help you since we had no idea what you had been through or what to expect. Nothing's changed son, we still love you."

Shaking his head, Sam worried that he was misunderstanding them, or they were misunderstanding him; he needed them to _understand_. "No, no you don't know… Cade didn't tell anyone, he protected me from that. There's no way your friend could know about how Cade kept me from killing myself by locking us in a bare room and holding onto to me when all I wanted to do was claw myself into tiny ribbons and disappear. That was something that only he and I knew about, until he and Brittany got into a fight and she demanded to know why he wouldn't leave my side. Do you have any idea what she could do with that information? What she's already _threatened_ to do?" Sam asked, taking in their disturbed glances and knew that no, they had no clue about that incident and they would have rather been kept in the dark about it.

John heard what Sammy had said and it made him want to find the bitch and rip her heart out for making his boy relive another horrible moment in his short life. He had no doubt that whatever it was that had made his son contemplate suicide at such a young age was bad, but it was something that Sammy had overcome with the help of his friend, and it was something that he would forever be thankful for Cade; keeping their Sammy as safe as he could until they could take on that role again.

"Sammy, it's ok. No matter what she says or tries, we'll be here and we'll do everything we can to make sure she doesn't get her hands on Ellie. But son, you need to trust us, ok? We're not asking for details, but we do want you to know that if you want to tell us, or need to talk about it, then we're here. Ok?" John said, trying hard to keep himself composed, since he knew Mary was sitting next to him crying silently at the thought of them losing their baby and not ever knowing it.

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Listening to the crazy bitch was a necessary evil, but his patience was wearing thin. He knew that Brian had purposefully brought them together, he'd never made the subject of his family a secret, so the question was: what could he do with this information.

"So, you want us to take care of this little problem of yours and we get paid. Sorry sister, but you don't look like you could buy us a plate of nacho's much less what we'd charge for something like that." He said coolly, hoping to reel her in.

Brittany laughed before smiling widely and motioned them in towards her. "All I need is my little girl and you'll get whatever it is you want."

Dean looked over at Brian who seemed to understand that it was his turn to start asking questions. "Brit, baby, you need to explain this to us. We might be college boys but you can't expect us to just fall for some line that a pretty girl gives us… even if it's you babe. How does getting your kid back give you money to burn?"

"Right, like I'd tell either of you. I will say that it's set in stone; my girl for access to cash. Now, you going to help me, or not?" Brittany asked, suddenly not as sure of herself as she was a few minutes ago.

"Oh you can count on us, don't you worry sweetheart. I do have to wonder though why you don't have your girl. I mean if you have a case, then wouldn't the courts just rule in your favor?" Dean asked while calmly taking another drink from his beer, watching her closely.

Smiling slyly, Brittany clapped her hands together in delight. "That's the beauty of it. I do have a case and all I'd have to do was let a tiny piece of information slip out and there would be no doubt as to who the better parent would be, but that would take too much time. While the attorney's and judges take their time, mine's running out and I need Ellie to get what I want."

Brian was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with what was now going on. He'd met the chick a little over a week ago and to say that their relationship was intense would have been an understatement, but then she started talking about needing her little girl and how the person who had her was a piece of work that should have been put down like a dog a long time ago. It wasn't until she finally mentioned who the guy was that he was able to piece the puzzle together and knew he needed to let Dean know exactly what was going on before she found someone else to carry out her plans.

"So let me get this straight, you already have a case, you have information to make sure you get what you want but you want to rush it even more by getting rid of this guy, right?" Dean asked slowly as if trying to digest the plan.

"Actually, the plan is to let him worry about the case so I can move in and grab my little girl while you take care of him. He's crazy, not stupid. If I walk up to his door, he'll make sure she's under lock and key until the second coming."

Not sure what to make of the woman in front of them, both Dean and Brian watched as she checked her watch before claiming an appointment and got up from the table. Brian looked over at Dean and waited.

"What the hell man? I mean, really!" Dean exclaimed; worried about what he heard.

All Brian could do was nod in agreement.

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Walking past the Impala, Brittany restrained her impulses to do some damage. She wasn't as stupid as they thought, she knew the man she just talked to was Johnny's brother, but there wasn't anything he could at the moment. Since they hadn't talked about price or specifically _killing_ Johnny, then there was no reason for the cops to look into it. This was just a simple stake out; she needed to know more about Johnny's family and it looked like big brother was next in line.

Recalling the conversation she'd already had with Johnny's parents she knew that it wouldn't be easy to get to Ellie, but to get them off balance enough to make her move was the best plan she had. While the attorney's were arguing venue, she'd make sure she changed hers just as soon as she had the little brat in her possession.

Suddenly aggravated she wondered if it was really worth it. Sure she'd basically have unlimited funds, but it meant actually having to take care of the little retard, and that wasn't her style. However, for the amount of money that her Grandfather wanted to leave his great granddaughter, then she'd make an exception… for now.

Starting her white convertible, Brittany started dreaming of the things she could do with all of that money. The first thing would be to put little Ellie in a home and be done with the whole situation, after all she had her own life to lead.

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Sam couldn't help his pacing, he wasn't sure what his parents had really figured out and what they were just trying to humor him with. What he did know was things had gotten very complicated, very quickly and he had no idea what to do about it. Pausing only for a moment he wondered what Cade would have done, then smirked at the image of his friend shrugging his shoulders telling him 'The simplest solutions are usually the right ones, Johnny.' Right now though he couldn't figure out what the simplest solution was, he knew the difference between right and wrong, but the problem was Brittany was threatening to take someone he loved more than his life, and he couldn't allow that to happen.

Pacing once again he let that last thought bounce around for a moment before he started to seriously wonder what was wrong with him. He'd been trying so hard to embrace this new life, the one with a family and friends. Now though it was as if it didn't matter, someone could still walk up and tear it to shreds if for no other reason than because it made them happy to make someone else miserable. Sighing, he wasn't sure what to do and although he knew his parents wanted to help he knew that they weren't who he needed to talk to. As much as he wished Cade was there to talk him through this problem, it was really Dean that he wanted to walk through the door and let him know that no matter what came out, he'd still be there. It was an irrational thought, but at this point he was willing to take any thought he could get if it meant he wasn't doing something completely self destructive.

The door opening caught everyone off guard, but it was the sight of Dean that made everyone think twice about how things really were. It took only a few moments of watching Dean walk in that made Sam stare and finally speak out. "Oh my God, you know!"

Dean saw the look on his little brother's face and knew he needed to tread carefully, one wrong move and they'd be back to square on quicker than anything. Looking around he asked hesitantly, "Where's Ellie?"

Confused both John and Mary motioned upstairs before turning their attention back to their boys. They knew that there had been some sort of subtle communication, but they weren't sure what is was or what it pertained to.

Nodding, Dean motioned for Sam to follow him to the kitchen, he really didn't want his little brother to get too agitated and he had a feeling that the more people that were around would just aggravate the situation. Making sure they were alone, Dean handed Sam a beer and started to fill him in. "Brittany wants you out of the picture so she can take Ellie. Apparently the whole court case is just a formality to occupy us until she can find a way to snatch our little princess." Seeing Sam's face go to a ghostly white, he guided his brother to a chair. "Sammy, she's confident that she has a case against you, that there's something she knows that would sway the judge in her favor no matter what we did, do you know what it is?"

Sam looked at his brother and wondered why everything was happening now, why couldn't they just be a happy family like he used to see on tv? "Yeah, I know what it is, and she's right, it could ruin our case." He knew Dean was trying to be patient, but how do you admit to someone that admire just how screwed up you really are? Taking a deep breath he charged ahead with the determination that he wasn't going to stop until he got it out. "Cade kept me from killing myself, it was bad… really bad. He asked a friend of his to use a spare room where he took everything out of it and he stayed there with me until I could think past the pain, drugs, alcohol. I was a mess, but he stayed with me for I don't know how long. He and Brittany argued later about it, about why he wouldn't let me out of his sight even for a moment and he told her. He didn't really mean to, it sort of jumped out and he couldn't take it back. She later used it against him to get what she wanted, that if he didn't do it then she'd report me to social services and have me committed again. He knew I couldn't deal with that, not that soon, so he let her have her way and everything was alright until she found out she was pregnant, then it all began again which didn't make sense since it's what she wanted."

Listening to his brother, Dean could only imagine the hell the kid had gone through and now having to revisit just because of some little… "Sammy, what did she want Cade to do?"

Sam looked up at Dean with heartbreak in his eyes and whispered, "Get her pregnant."

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Brittany was on the phone again to her worthless lawyer who kept telling her that with Ellie's 'condition' there would be no way they could stop the transfer of the case to Kansas and that she needed to prepare herself for the possibility of the case being thrown out altogether because of the length of time. As she paced in front of her car she was tempted to yell at the moron that she already knew that, but thought better of it and instead took up the persona that he knew her to be.

"But Mr. Donovan… how can they think about leaving her with him? I'm better, the doctors all agree that I wasn't able to take care of Ellie then, but am now. What's going to happen if…"

"_Brittany, please calm down. I know how much you want to be with your little girl, but you have to go through the proper channels; no more contact with the Winchester's. Don't worry, they'll slip up and then we'll have a stronger case than what we have already and we can petition for emergency guardianship."_

"Of course Mr. Donovan, I just want my baby back so badly. Is there any possible way of speeding it up? I mean, the longer she's with them, the more confused she'll be."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line before the attorney admitted, _"I'm afraid not. It's like I've explained to your grandfather, these things take time. Once we get the venue straightened out then we'll be able to petition for visitation, but you have to be patient Brittany."_

Acting as if she was weighing the man's words, Brittany finally sighed, "Alright, if you think it's best. Thank you Mr. Donovan, you've been a big help."

Cutting the call on her cell phone, Brittany smiled at the knowledge that it would still take time to get the case heard, but there was a chance of getting Ellie before then, all she had to do was prove little Johnny completely out of his head and she'd be as good as in. Smiling to herself in the window, she dialed a familiar number and started to work her plan.

"Hi Grandpapa!... No, I'm fine, I just want to have her with me…. Yes, I read the reports and even met his brother… yes, yes he seemed very nice, but I was wondering something Papa. Why isn't Johnny's suicide attempt mentioned… the one before Ellie was born... No Papa, it's just, well, it was when Cade and I were going out and… yes Papa, I'm sure, Cade told me about it because he was worried about Johnny… you will? Oh thank you so much! I know it will help… yes, of course we'll come live with you… I know, I love you too."

Waiting until she was off the phone, she burst into giggles and danced around her car enjoying the knowledge of what she had just caused for Johnny Doe. Once the courts got wind of something like that, especially one that hadn't been reported, then poor Johnny would be ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine his fitness as a parent. She already knew his aversion to authority figures, and how he'd avoid them like the plague, leaving her more than ample room to walk in and take what's hers while everyone else tried to figure out what had happened.

"mmmm…. I can almost taste that Swiss account already, and all thanks to my little Ellie. Who would have thought my plan would have really worked?" she asked to no one in particular, still basking in the knowledge that her goal was in sight, now all she had to do was watch patiently until the time was right.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Hey everyone... I hope you like it... let me know!

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Dean knew he heard correctly, but the shock of what he had just learned made the question "Huh?" fly out of his mouth making him wish he could for once learn to use his brain before opening his mouth. Holding his hand up, he stopped his brother from repeating the bizarre statement and processed it until finally he sat down and looked at Sammy.

"Ok, you're going to have to explain this one to me kiddo, 'cause honestly, I think you lost me." He said quietly while watching his little brother try to pull himself back together. Remembering the confident, if not cocky, kid from last year, Dean wondered about this version of his brother and prayed that once this was all over that Sammy would be back and this scared version went for a hike.

Sam looked at Dean then got up and started to pace across the kitchen floor. He knew that it sounded insane, but he also knew what he'd heard; what he'd been told. Sitting back down by Dean he began, "Brittany wanted a baby; she was determined one way or another. Cade found out that she had made inquiries about how pregnant girls who were taken in by prospective adoptive parents were treated, so he thought that's what she was shooting for; a meal ticket away from her parents. It wasn't until she found out she was pregnant that Cade realized that whatever she was really planning had blown up in her face, leaving them with a baby on the way. He told her that it was going to be ok, that he'd take care of everything and for her not to worry; he was going to be the best daddy he could and that was a promise. She started yelling and screaming and finally left to go back to her parents' house. They found out that Cade was the father and they had a fit because he wasn't good enough. They refused to allow her to stay with the couple who were planning on adopting Ellie, and didn't let her go anywhere with one of them. I guess they thought she was going back to Cade and they didn't want that."

"So, her plan didn't work, but what about after Ellie was born?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Sam looked at the counter in front of him. "I don't know, she wouldn't even look at Ellie. It was as if she had so much hate for everyone especially her own baby. The adoptive parents didn't want Ellie, but Brittany's parents had made sure that all connections with Brittany and them were gone; Ellie had no one but us. Now Brittany's trying to come back, and I don't understand why she would do this."

Dean thought about the conversation he had with the little witch and had to wonder himself about a few things. Finally he nodded, "Ok Sammy, is there any way that she could use Ellie to get money." Seeing the horrified look on his brother's face he amended the question. "I meant is there family that would set them up if Brittany and Ellie stayed with them?"

"Her parents were middle class and neither one spoke about their parents, but Cade said Brittany had a grandfather that was pretty wealthy but didn't want to have anything to do with any of them. I don't know if that's what you mean, but it's the only thing I can think of."

Nodding, Dean was starting to form a picture, and although he didn't like it, he was determined to make sure it didn't happen. There was no way she was going to use their little princess to get in good with Daddy Warbucks.

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With the boys gone, John was content for the moment to look over the house for any odds and ends jobs that needed to be done. Of course, half way through his search he was silently cursing himself since he knew he'd done everything already. Sammy might be able to do some, but there had been a few things that he had been more than willing to leave to dear 'ol dad in fear that he'd make them worse. Smiling, he reached the doorknob to the room he knew was technically Sammy's, but everyone knew that the kid hardly ever slept in it, preferring either to study and fall asleep at the kitchen table or sleep in a chair next to Ellie's bed to make sure she didn't need anything during the night.

"Don't know what you're going to do when she goes off to college kiddo." He muttered to himself as he walked inside and looked around. Nothing much had changed since the last time he'd been in there, everything had its place and there was no clutter to be found; even the dirty laundry was in a small hamper in the closet. Shaking his head, he had to wonder how two boys could be so similar and yet so different. After checking all the hinges, as well as the windows he made his way to Dean's room dreading what he'd see there.

As he suspected, Dean's room looked like it was occupied by a teenager instead of a grown man. Ignoring the dirty clothes on the floor, he made the same checks to the hinges and windows before turning around and coming face to face with a very large poster of that girl from the lifeguard show he knew Dean liked to watch and wondered if his eldest boy was ever planning on growing up. Shaking his head, he walked into the hallway and listened as Mary read Ellie a story in her room.

"Hey you two, still searching for Prince Charming?" he asked, amused by the surprised look on Mary's face as she looked up from playing dress up with Ellie.

Smiling, Mary nodded, "Since I already found mine, I thought I'd help her with her search. A little princess can't be too careful now days, you know."

John laughed a moment before another thought spiked his brain, 'What if something happens to Ellie? What if she never gets better? What if there _is_ no happy ending for her?'

Mary watched as a myriad of emotions played across her husband's face, but then noticed that something had changed. "John, are you alright?" she asked, hoping that she was just imagining things.

Looking at Mary, John knew that he was scaring her, but then again he had just scared himself. It wasn't a pleasant thought for him to contemplate that little sweet Ellie would stay the way she was forever. He had always pictured her becoming an outgoing little girl with tons of friends and a whole group of admirers that he and her daddy's would have to chase off with shotguns. Now though, he had to face some very hard facts, Ellie might improve a little bit from where she was right now, but she might not either. Finally, he nodded and smiled weakly at her before turning his attention to his little sweetheart.

"Hey Ellie, how about you and grandpa go get some ice cream? We can stop by that park with the ducks and I'll even let you feed them, what do you say?"

They waited a moment while Ellie finished putting on a plastic bangle bracelet before she shocked both of them when she walked over and held up her arms.

Smiling, John knew that he had made some major progress and wouldn't begrudge her a lift. "Sure thing Your Highness, your carriage awaits."

Mary laughed as she watched the two of them head towards the door. She had a feeling she knew what was on John's mind, but also knew that there was no way he'd ever feel different about Ellie, even if she didn't get better; they all loved her way too much for that.

Picking up the items on the floor, she smiled at the thought of her family and knew there was no way in Hell she'd allow some two bit hustler take their girl from them. With that thought in mind, she walked into the hallway and called Craig. After discussing the possibility of turning the tables on Brittany, she felt better and went downstairs to try and salvage the rest of the day. Suddenly, things didn't seem so bleak.

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Slapping his hand on the counter, Dean knew that he needed to get his brother out of the house for a little while whether the kid liked it or not; besides, they had something else to talk about far away from listening ears.

"Ok Sammy, I know you don't want to, but you and I are going out. As in, right now, so grab your wallet and I'll let Mom and Dad know they need to watch Ellie for a few hours."

Sam looked at his brother in shock, he had no idea what to do with what he was seeing. It was almost as if nothing he had said mattered and Dean was more than willing to shove everything off to the side to party like they used to.

"No Dean, I need to…"

"You need to relax. You've been wound so tight lately I'm surprised you haven't broke yet. Now go get your wallet, and I'll meet you by my car in a minute… unless you want to explain to our parents why you dropped out?" Dean asked, knowing that that was one subject Sammy didn't want to have. "Good, go on and I'll meet up with you."

It took less than five minutes for everyone to get filled in and in their respective places, leaving Dean feeling as if he had just accomplished some major feat. Sighing as he sped down the road, he glanced at Sammy and noticed the distance look on his brother's face. More determined than ever, he vowed to get to the bottom of what was going on and headed straight towards a place that they had frequented after Sammy's return. The place was a little hole in the wall with pool tables, poker games, and the most important… a bartender who didn't seem to be able to read a license properly.

Sam looked around and the feeling of dread that had been lying still in his stomach suddenly lurched forward making his presence known if a very obnoxious manner.

"Dean, no! If we get caught…"

Dean looked at Sammy and really wondered who this guy was and when his real little brother was coming back. Shaking his head, he reached over and opened the passenger door.

"Sammy, we're not going to get caught. This used to be our regular hangout, and we need a place to relax and talk. Now get out of the damn car!"

Grudgingly Sam got out before he stood staring at the building in front of them. Sighing, he nodded and followed Dean inside not noticing the person watching closely.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Sorry for the wait, I hope this chapter makes up for it... enjoy!

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Knowing that something is a bad idea and acting on it are often two different scenarios, especially when you have a big brother who keeps insisting that he knows what's best. Now though, as Sam leaned back and watched Dean take a shot at the eight ball and missing spectacularly, he couldn't help but wonder what had him so freaked earlier. The same people were there since the last time he'd been there, and no one gave them a second look which put him at ease at least a little while he drank the beer his brother thrust into his hand. Moving in to take his shot though, Sam suddenly felt as if they were being watched, and it wasn't a feeling he liked too much. Looking around he was about to forgo the rest of the game when a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Sammy, you ok there dude?" Dean asked. He'd watched his little brother go from tense to relaxed, to wound up like a coiled spring all in less than half an hour. If he didn't know better he'd swear that Sammy was just about to bolt, which made no sense whatsoever. Looking him over, Dean worried that maybe this had been too much too soon, but then understood that his brother really did need some time away from the house.

Sam knew that Dean was watching him closely, but he wasn't sure what to tell him at the moment, somehow he didn't think that the excuse 'we're being followed' would go over real well especially since he didn't have any proof. Looking at his brother he nodded before returning to his shot and sinking the eight in the corner pocket making Dean groan while handing over ten bucks.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Dean racked the balls and waited for Sammy to break before he asked, "So, you going to tell me why you dropped out?"

The sudden question threw Sam so much that he managed to completely miss the cue ball and thankfully caught himself before he damaged the felt. Whipping around to face his brother he could only ask, "What did you hear?"

Dean knew a stall tactic when he heard one, but it didn't deter him. "Sammy, what's going on? Is there something that you don't want to tell me, 'cause man, I really thought we were beyond that."

Feeling as if his whole life was spinning out of control, Sam had no idea how to get it back to the way it was. Finally, he nodded before he grabbed his beer and leaned against the pool table. "Dr. Malloy found me at the bookstore earlier this week before everything started happening, he was letting me know which books I really needed and which ones I could do without." Pausing for just a moment he looked up at Dean, "I really thought he was just trying to help."

"What happened, Sammy?" Dean asked, already knowing the professor's side, but wanting to hear what his brother thought.

"He wanted to talk to me and I don't know… maybe I'm making something out of nothing, or maybe I should have just nodded and bought my books then made sure I didn't see him around campus… it's just really screwed up Dean!" Sam said quietly, wishing they could just finish their pool game, go home and forget the whole week had ever happened. He knew Dean was still waiting, but he wasn't sure how to approach it, how to explain that all he wanted to do was go to school and hopefully one day be able to help other kids like Ellie, especially ones that had been dumped into an unsympathetic system.

"Sammy…"

"He talked to me about how some students benefited from extra guidance, and I could tell he was talking about me. I swear Dean… I didn't do anything to…"

Dean stepped closer and put a hand on Sammy's shoulder effectively stopping the kid in mid sentence. "Sammy, I already know, you don't have to say any more, but I do want you to listen ok?" he asked and then waited to watch his confused sibling nod. "Dr. Malloy was planning on volunteering to be your mentor, or at least that's what he told me. I can see why you might have thought something different, but I have to tell you, if he really was making a pass at you then he's the best actor I've ever met."

Mulling over Dean's words, Sam wondered how he could have messed up so badly. Embarrassment crept in and he could no longer look at his brother. 'Man, what the hell?' he thought to himself, truly wondering why he would have even thought that…

"Hey! Don't you do that Sammy, it's not your fault, you didn't know, ok?" Dean said forcibly as he continued to try to break through the wall that he'd seen his brother erect in a matter of moments. "Sammy… I mean it! You did what you had to do, and that's ok. Now I need to know if you still trust me. Do you? Trust me?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, the answer was instantaneous, "With my life Dean."

Nodding, Dean smiled, "Ok then. If you're unsure about what to do, then maybe you could trust me a little bit to help you make that decision. I think you should go and enroll again, get your books, and do that geeky thing you do, ok?"

Puzzled, Sam looked around before asking, "What geeky thing?"

"You know, study as much as you do. I swear I've never met anyone who studies for a test before the subject has even been covered." Dean laughed, and then suddenly stopped when he noticed he was the only one laughing. "Sammy?"

"I don't get it. It takes me longer to understand what they're talking half the time. Sorry if it embarrasses you." Sam said quietly as he pushed himself away from the pool table and headed towards the door leaving a stunned Dean in his wake.

"What the hell?" Dean asked to noone; wondering how his little brother could ever think he was an embarrassment.

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Craig couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of doing something similar sooner, but at the same time felt thankful that Mary was on the ball. Now all he had to do was find out a little bit more about Ellie's biological mother and it should start the ball rolling enough to figure out who was really pulling the strings.

Leaning back, he stretched his arms in the attempt to loosen some of the tension that had taken hold since taking on the Winchester case. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help and he really had to wonder if maybe he should go to the gym for an hour before tackling the next leg of the investigation. He'd always been up to a challenge and knew that this case was definitely going to be one, but there was no way he was going to fail; there was too much at stake.

Picking up the phone, he started on his list of calls to find out more about Brittany but mostly about her family to see if there was any obvious reason why she would come back now after five years. Of course if he could turn up a little bit of dirt on her as well, then it would be an added bonus in his client's favor and he didn't have a problem slinging mud if he had to. From everything he'd learned, Sam Winchester had really tried to pull his life together and was making great strides in that direction, even to the point of impressing many of the academia at the University. He had to admit, after speaking with the young man, he could see why people were often in awe of him; not only was he intelligent and hard working, but also very humble about his accomplishments. Against John's wishes, he had made numerous inquiries to the newfound Winchester and he had to admit that what he had heard initially and what he has seen with his own eyes have been drastically different. Whereas before Johnny Doe was just some street kid with his own agenda, Sam Winchester however was family oriented to the point of obsession, making sure he did whatever he could to make the Winchester's life better. He attributed most of that to the appearance of the very little girl they were fighting to keep.

Halfway through his list he found something more than a little interesting and decided to change tactics. Reaching for his address book he searched for the name that he rarely used, but knew was an impeccable source. Finally finding the number, he placed the call and waited for the groggy voice to pick up. After making arrangements for the other man to meet with him, he hung up and leaned back thinking that finally things were starting to fall into place.

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Dean finally caught up with Sam outside the bar and was even more confused by the forlorn look on his brother's face. This was definitely not the carefree kid they'd met last year and he had to wonder what had caused the change. Then again with everything that had been happening it shouldn't have been a surprise, but now he had to try and figure out how to fix whatever had just happened.

"Sammy, hey c'mon it can't be that bad." Dean said, trying to assure his kid brother that there wasn't anything to worry about. He wasn't prepared for the same brother to turn around suddenly at look at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Not that bad!" Sam exclaimed, not believing what he'd heard. "Not that bad… Dean this isn't a set of broken dishes, this is everything that can go wrong and is. I'm so close to losing everything and you're standing there telling me it's no big deal, well I'm glad it's not to you, but I really thought it was something huge!"

Confused, Dean could only stand there in the middle of the parking lot and watch his brother have a meltdown, with no clue as how to stop it.

Sam stopped and looked at Dean for a moment before he continued. "You know, you have no idea how lucky you have it. You've never had to watch a door at night, wonder where your next meal was coming from, think about if the person you're talking to you is really telling the truth or is waiting for you to let your guard down before stabbing you in the back. You've never had to watch other people talk about what they wanted to do with your life and then wonder if you were going to get old enough to really worry about. I have Dean, I've been there. You got to go to college after going to High School and everything was fine. If I got to go to school I spent most of my time trying to catch up or figure out what they were talking about, most of my teachers thought I was an idiot if they thought about me at all. When I got my GED it wasn't because I thought it was the easiest way out, it was the only way I was going to get out of the system with some sign of an education. Do you have any idea how long I studied for it? How many practice tests I took? Now I have classes that start out confusing and stay that way through most of it, I have a little girl who needs me and I'm so worried I'm going to fail her that I can't sleep, I have a family who I feel like I'm letting down one way or another, and now you're telling me that it's no big deal!"

Dean stared at his brother and wondered how they had missed it, how they all could have gotten so close to him and still miss the signs that he felt out of place. "Sammy, I'm sorry man, I didn't…"

"Dean, this isn't about you. It's one of the reasons why I moved around a lot, I hated the feeling that one day I'd mess up so badly that I wouldn't be able to stay. You know, I never thought about college, it was one of those things that were for other people. Now I'm doing something that not only I never dreamed of, but…"

"Sammy, I'm sorry. I never thought that we'd been laying too much on you. You've been amazing with Ellie, with Mom, hell even the shop has improved with you working there. I know that you don't see it, but you do make things better, I just wished we'd seen what it was doing to you." Dean said as he watched his brother pull himself together and he suddenly realized that he wasn't supposed to hear that outburst; that Sammy had been carrying it around for God knew how long, and that saddened him more than anything. "Ok, you know what… you're right. I have no idea what life was like for you, and I really wished that you'd been with us from the beginning, but we're here now and I'm not going anywhere little brother. So, if you're having trouble with school, or worried that you're not living up to some sort of expectation, then you can talk to me 'cause that's what I'm here for."

Sam looked at Dean and knew that he hadn't expressed himself properly, but wasn't sure how to do it. "Dean, I know you don't get it, and that's ok. I'm the freak that appeared on your doorstep, people have a curiosity about it. Now we have this case to keep Ellie and I'm really getting worried about it. I just don't want to hurt Mom or Dad, you know?"

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Sammy, trust me, you could never hurt them, I promise you. We all want you with us, but most of all we want you to be happy… and this…" he said pointing back and forth from him and his brother. "…this tells me that you're not. So I have to ask little brother… what'll make you happy?"

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A pair of eyes watched intently the scene outside a rundown bar, and wondered just what exactly was going on with the brothers and if there was a way to find out with exposing themselves. No matter how hard the person wanted to intrude, something stopped them as if knowing it wasn't the right time. No, the time had to be right otherwise the plan would be totally destroyed, making a royal mess out of everything in the process. The time would come soon, then everything would fall into place.

Content in the new knowledge, a lone figure stayed in the shadows and walked to a sedan waiting close by. Shortly after, the car drove past the two brothers who were still oblivious to what had just transpired.

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AN: Honestly I'm not too thrilled with this chapter, but still hoping it was good... let me know!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I hope you all like it... sorry for the wait!

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Sam stared at Dean and realized that he had no idea if he was happy or not, and if not what it would take to become that way. It's not as if he'd never thought about things, but his own happiness wasn't one of them; survival yes, happiness not so much. Now looking at his brother he realized that he was probably scaring Dean out of his mind. Shaking his head, Sam turned towards the Impala.

"Look man, I'm sorry, this wasn't how I wanted tonight to go down." He said, not looking at his brother.

Watching Sam walk away Dean knew that this couldn't end this way, there was too much left open and they needed to deal with it before his little brother exploded. "Sammy wait!" he called out, hoping to stop Sam from actually getting in the car as if that was some sort of signal that the discussion was closed. "Come on Sam… lets at least finish our game!"

Stopping suddenly, Sam turned around and called out, "No more talking… at least until you get back from work?"

Dean sighed, feeling as if he should have seen that one coming. Sam was the type to overanalyze everything and the three days he just asked for confirmed what Dean thought; little brother wanted time to figure out what to do. Taking a deep breath, he nodded hoping that he wasn't going to regret it. "Yeah, ok… no more talking until I get back, but then buddyboy you better be ready to put it all on the table, got it?"

Smiling, Sam nodded and followed Dean back in the bar. He knew that with a little bit of time he could figure out everything that was messing with his head. He just hoped he could find some solutions while he was at it.

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John loved spending time with Ellie and hoped that the feeling was mutual. Although they had seen some incredible progress, she still wasn't one to show her emotions very often. He remembered the boys talking about hearing her laugh at a movie which caused everyone to wonder if they should get her a puppy to help draw her out, unfortunately they couldn't agree on any type of dog therefore the subject had once again been shoved to the side.

"Ellie ice cream!" Ellie said as she pointed to the small ice cream shop ahead.

Smiling, John was glad to have this time with the little girl, since the subject of Brittany had come up; he'd been worried that Sam would tighten the reigns and not let her out of his sight. However, it was as if the opposite was happening, Sam seemed to be allowing them extra time with her and although he knew why, it didn't help to think that his son was that worried they'd lose the case.

"Hey Ellie, what type do you want?" he asked, knowing that this was something that his boys did, draw her into a conversation and make her express her wants or needs. He saw her light blue eyes watch him a moment before turning back around to the building. It was a few moments later and he was starting to think that maybe it hadn't been a good idea after all when she started walking towards the store without him.

"St'berry!" Ellie exclaimed as she continued to walk towards the lighted sign in the window.

Not sure if she was referring to the actual flavor she wanted or the sign she saw in the window, John tentatively reached out to open the door for her. It didn't take long for him to realize that sometimes ice cream was ice cream and he shouldn't try to over think certain things. Paying for their ice cream cones, John led Ellie back outside and they continued their walk until they reached the house again. Looking down he noticed that her attention wasn't on what she had in her hands anymore, but on him. Watching and waiting, he knew that there was something going on in her mind, but he couldn't tell what it could be. Finally though she looked into his eyes and gave him a small smile, sending his heart swelling even more for the little girl he knew he'd give anything to be able to keep.

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Sam looked at the phone as if it were the enemy. He knew it wasn't the phone's fault, but damnit he wasn't looking forward to this call; in fact he was pretty embarrassed to have to make it to begin with. Sighing, he dialed the number he found in some of his papers and listened for the ringing to stop.

"_Hello!"_

"Uh, Dr. Malloy, this is Sam…"

"_Sam, How wonderful to hear from you! I hope everything is well? How is that wonderful little girl?"_

Smiling, Sam couldn't help but wonder how he could have misunderstood what this man had been asking. "Fine sir, I just called to apologize for last week, I made a horrible assumption and I'd like to rectify it if I could." Dr. Malloy chuckled on the other end of the phone line making Sam wonder if he had truly misjudged the situation after all.

"_Sam, please, don't worry about that. After speaking with your brother I was able to piece together our conversation and realized belatedly what it could have sounded like. Now that we have that settled, would you allow me the great honor of being your mentor while you are here?"_

"Dr. Malloy I really appreciate the offer I'm just not sure about what's happening right now and any schedule that I have would probably be interrupted by the court case. Honestly sir, I'm not sure whether I should continue while this is going on or not." Sam said honestly, knowing that if he didn't continue then he'd be letting a lot of people down, but didn't know how to get everything done.

_The pause on the phone line went on for a few moments until the older man broke the silence. "Yes, I understand your dilemma, and I have an option for you. How about we try the summer session as an experiment? The University offers some course online and I would wager that they have a few that you were going to take. If so, how about you take those that way you don't have to worry about missing lectures or late assignments if you have to spend any time in an actual courtroom."_

Thinking over what Dr. Malloy suggested, Sam wondered if it could really work. If so then maybe he could actually accomplish two things at once; keep his little girl, and still work towards getting his degree. Maybe it wouldn't have to be one or the other.

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Dean had been trying his damnedest to stay focused, but ever since getting the agreement to talk from his little brother he hadn't been able to keep his mind from drifting back to that afternoon in the bar. Now though wasn't the time to worry about Sammy, now he really needed to pull his head out of his ass and get the hell inside this house that had more smoke billowing out of it than they'd thought possible for such a small structure. It wouldn't have been so bad except a neighbor kept insisting there were children inside.

As he and two others finally managed to shoulder open the door, it was obvious that the place was beyond salvaging. The inner structure was smoldering as if someone had tried to put out the flames, but none of the men were fooled, it wouldn't take much to get it going again. Double checking their breathing apparatus', they fanned out to try and find the missing children all the while praying they weren't too late. It took awhile to confidently decide that if there where any kids in the house, they weren't there now.

Hearing a call on the radio they all realized that the children were safe across the street. Heading out, they quickly let the others have at it with the hose to keep the embers from reigniting. Walking towards the truck, they were able to remove the air tanks without hassle and reported to their captain, thankful that they didn't have to remove bodies from the house today.

Looking around, Dean saw the kids staring at their home with wide frightened eyes. The two boys reminded him of himself and Sammy, the way they could have been, together from the beginning. Sighing, his attention was brought back to the present when Logan gave him a pat on the back and motioned to the truck, it was time for them to head out. Giving the boys one last look, he made his way into the rig and wondered if he would ever get past the feeling that he missed out on a huge part of his life that was supposed to be with his brother.

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Putting down the receiver, Craig wondered how this could have happened; he'd never seen a case move forward this fast. Shaking his head, he reached over to make a call that he wasn't sure would be welcomed.

"_Hello?"_

"Sam? This is Craig, how are you today?"

Sam laughed a moment before answering, _"I don't know, how about you tell me."_

Craig couldn't help but smile, "Ok. Then how about this, a hearing has been scheduled for the end of the week." He waited while the other end of the phone line stayed quiet and Craig wondered if Sam had hung up, but seriously doubted it. "Sam, it's ok, we have enough information to get…"

"_What'll happen?"_ Sam asked, wondering if there was anything he had missed from the numerous conversations he'd had with the man.

"Sam, it's just going to be a hearing. We'll speak to a judge about the case and then it'll be decided what will happen. This is just a formality, and I'll do my best to have the case thrown out. There's really no basis for her claim and we'll prove that."

Although Sam heard the attorney, he felt that there was something else that was about to jump out and bite all of them on the butt. Instead of voicing his opinion though, he thanked the attorney and hung up the phone. 'What now?' he thought, truly wondering if things could get anymore complicated.


	13. Chapter 13

Dean knew he should be upset, but he couldn't bring himself to get worked up over not having that talk with his brother. After all, when he finally got home again, the house was in an uproar with everyone trying to get ready for the court hearing. It had come as a shock to hear that not only had the hearing been scheduled soon, but also Craig had been notified that there was some damaging evidence to prove that his Sammy wasn't fit to raise Ellie. Now if that wasn't something that made him want to smash down a wall or two, he didn't know what else would! Since they had no idea what the evidence was, Craig was trying hard to push the court date back in order to request an evidentiary hearing first. Unfortunately, it didn't look good which was causing more than a little bit of stress on his family.

Looking around the dining room he saw stacks of papers; some had to deal with his brother's past, while others had to do with Sammy's school and affidavits attesting to his character and even the progress Ellie had made in the time she'd been with them. Now though he couldn't help but look at his little brother sound asleep at the table and wonder how much longer the kid was going to last. He'd already heard from his mom that ever since the attorney's call Sammy had been busy gathering information and talking to people, but the one thing he hadn't given any time to was sleep. Trying to stay quiet, he leaned over and looked at the notes that were written in an exhausted scrawl, but not able to understand any of it.

"Ok little brother, whatever's running through your head, I hope you'll be able to share soon." He whispered as he patted Sammy's back lightly. Turning back towards the living room he noticed his dad watching with a grim expression on his face. Worried, he followed the older man until they were out of earshot before asking what was going on.

"Your brother is worrying himself sick about this. Normally I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but he's acting as if he's already lost this case; he can't sleep and he's not eating. Dean, we need to find out what Brittany has on Sammy so we can do some major damage control." John said quickly, hoping that his youngest son wouldn't chose this particular moment to wake up and find them talking about him.

Shaking his head, Dean wasn't sure what to do. He knew all too well about his little brother's insomnia, but now if it's escalated then they could have bigger problems on their hands. "Ok Dad, I'll talk to him. But after he wakes up on his own… he needs some rest and if this is the only way he can get it, then we'll have to work with it."

John smiled weakly, knowing that Dean was right, but wishing there was something else to be done. The hearing was in the morning which left them less than twenty four hours to make sure everyone was ready for this whole ordeal to start. Sighing, he wondered how Ellie would fair if she actually understood what was going on. Oh he knew that she had already noticed that Sammy was distracted and wasn't as attentive as normal, but other than that she was blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding around her. Giving his eldest son a pat on the shoulder, they made their way through the house to join Mary and Ellie at the other house to help keep Ellie occupied for a little while. Anything to help Sammy get the rest he so sorely needed.

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Sam woke suddenly, instantly knowing by the silence in the house that his family still had Ellie at the other house. Although he knew he should feel thankful, all he really felt was annoyed. He was just about to go before a judge to prove that he could take care of his little princess, and his family inadvertently proves that he wasn't able to do it after all. Leaning back, he let out a deep breath trying to hold the tears at bay; the thought of losing his little girl warred with his determination not to fail in this, leaving him with a headache and a weariness that seeped into his bones until all he wanted was to sleep until this was over and they could get back to normal.

As he looked over his notes, he wondered about tomorrow and if it were possible that Craig would be able to get everything tossed out like he hoped. He knew it was a logical move, but then again when in his life did anything fall into logical. Seeing the time, he realized that he slept most of the afternoon, taking away precious moments that he could be spending with Ellie. Groaning at the pain spiking through his head, he knew he needed to take care of that little detail before he faced everyone; if they knew how bad he really felt they wouldn't let him out of the house.

Reaching in the medicine cabinet he bypassed the migraine medicine he was given the last time he was at the doctor, and immediately swallowed the double dose of aspirin in hopes it would do the job without knocking him back out. 'I've got too much to do.' He thought desperately as he walked back into the dining room. Looking around he noticed that a lot of his notes were scattered, but the more important ones were on the notepad that he fell asleep on. Reading over them he understood why there would be doubt about his ability to raise Ellie, but that didn't mean he was going to give up without a fight.

On the way out the door, he grabbed another notepad hoping to get some more thoughts and ideas written down so he could call Craig later. Anything to help give them an advantage tomorrow would be greatly appreciated. With new determination, he walked the short distance to the kitchen door of his parents' home and wasn't surprised that everyone was outside in the process of cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.

"Sammy sweetie, how are you doing?" Mary asked, happy to see her baby awake and functioning again.

Sam smiled sheepishly noticing that both his dad and brother were watching him carefully. "Better, really. How's she been?" he asked motioning to Ellie who was using sidewalk chalk to draw a mural on a section of the driveway.

"Dude… you know as well as I do that once she starts drawing nothing short of a lightning strike is going to get her to stop. Right now she's determined to decorate the whole driveway." Dean said matter of factly while watching his brother closely; something was wrong but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Nodding, Sam smiled and watched Ellie continue her task. Before he knew it, he had both a hamburger and hot dog in front of his face given to him by a very determined Mary to make sure every member of her family ate tonight. John and Dean paused to watch and see how the gesture was going to be received, they both knew that Sammy was very touchy about them taking care of him, but they both sighed with relief when they noticed that the plate of food didn't stand a chance.

Leaning back, John looked over his family and smiled, 'Everything's going to work out.'

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Sam couldn't remember a day when nothing was working out and at this rate he not only was going to completely lose his mind, but be late on top of everything else. He not only couldn't get Ellie to cooperate this morning, but he had the distinct feeling that they were being watched and had made the mistake of mentioning it to Dean, causing the older brother to race out of the house to find the culprit.

"Come on Ellie, help me out here." He pleaded as he tried once again to get the little girl to change from her pajamas to another outfit so she could go to school while he went before the judge. Sighing, he wondered what had gotten into her before understanding slammed into him, making him feel worse; she'd picked up on his anxiety and was acting on it. "Come on princess; let's get you dressed so you can play with your friends today."

"Sam, we need to hurry up, we're going to be late." Dean called out as he entered the room. Seeing that Ellie wasn't dressed, he had to wonder what was going on. Looking towards Sammy, he knew that there was more than just a minor meltdown going on. "By the way, I didn't see anyone out there… maybe your just nervous about how this whole thing is going to go."

Taking a deep breath, Sam could only nod and pack Ellie's backpack with a change of clothes; this wasn't the first time he had to take her in her pj's. "Dean, do you think you can take her, I still need to shower and get ready myself."

"Alright princess… c'mon." Dean said lightly as he scooped the little girl into his arms before taking the backpack from his little brother. "I'll see you at the courthouse, alright?"

Nodding, Sam was more than a little relieved that Dean was still planning on being there with him. He listened as Dean walked out the kitchen door to meet up with their parents, before he grabbed his clothes and stepped into the shower. Fifteen minutes later he was showered, dressed and feeling more normal than he had in awhile. Knowing that Dean had left his car for him, he was heading towards the door when he heard a knock. Knowing he was running late, he was ready to give whoever it was the brush-off… until he swung open the door. Seeing the person on the other side made his words stick in his throat, chocking him.

"Hey kiddo… got a minute?"

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"… your Honor, I insist on a recess until I can…"

"Your Honor, it's obvious that Mr. Winchester is a no-show therefore I insist that you make an immediate ruling in favor of my client."

"Your Honor! I assure you, if Sam isn't here then…"

As the judge demanded order in his courtroom, the sound of a cell phone playing _Sweet Child of Mine_ broke through the chaos making everyone look towards the location of the sound. Worried, Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket and confirmed it was Ellie's school. Without another word, Dean answered it ignoring the protests of others in the room.

"_Dean, this is Trisha and I just wanted to let you know that Sam left Ellie's backpack here."_

Puzzled, Dean tried to figure out what the woman was talking about. "Trish, uh… I took Ellie to school today and I already know she has her backpack so…"

The sound of light laughter could be heard over the phone before Trisha spoke again. _"I know that, I meant that when Sam came and picked Ellie up a few minutes ago…"_

"Wait… he did what?!" Dean exclaimed as he looked around and really noticed that all eyes were on him now. "Trish, you're joking right? I mean… _c'mon_!" Hearing her denial that it was a joke, Dean suddenly felt very ill and looked towards Craig for some help.

Craig turned back towards the bench and insisted a recess. "It appears there may be some trouble your Honor. Please allow us to find out what's going on before we decide how to proceed."

After recess had been called, Dean steered his family and the attorney to the side and broke the news. "Mom, Dad, Sammy's gone… and he took Ellie with him."

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AN: So... uh... am I evil, or just demented??


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I hope you all like this one... don't forget to let me know!!

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Although he had said it quietly, somehow Brittany's attorney heard him and was more than ready for the recess to be over so he could share this little tidbit with the judge. He had been nervous about this case from the beginning mainly because the boy in question had truly seemed to have gotten his act together and the support of his family while Brittany still hadn't finished high school and was depending on her grandfather's support once custody of Ellie was granted to her.

Gathering his notepad he quickly put his thoughts together, highlighting major point and piecing together what he needed to say in order to get the desired results; mainly to have an APB put out on Samuel Winchester AKA Johnny Doe for custodial kidnapping.

Mary looked over and immediately sensed the change in attitude from the opposing attorney. As a cold feeling settled into her stomach, the bailiff announced the arrival of the judge and any other thoughts flew out of her head as soon as she heard the other man stand up.

"Your Honor, it has come to my attention that Sam Winchester has taken off with little Ellie, and I must insist that we act promptly to apprehend him before he does something even more dangerous!"

Brittany heard the words her attorney spoke and the only thing that ran through her mind was her one chance at happiness was getting away, but she pulled herself together to moan, "Oh my poor baby! Your Honor please do something, Johnny's never been stable, and now…"

"Your Honor, its true that we could very well have a situation on our hands, but it's also true that this could just be a simple case of misunderstanding. I'd like a chance to…"

"To what… let your client escape and put this poor young lady through even more heartache in not knowing if her child is…"

Laughter broke out in the courtroom breaking into the chaotic arguing going on between the attorneys. "She's not a lady first of all, and second she let everyone know how much she detested Ellie ever since she found out she was pregnant with her." A voice sounded off from the back of the courtroom.

Everyone turned to face the newcomer and the shocked gasps could be heard from both sides of the courtroom. Brittany turned a sickly shade of white, while the Winchester's could only stare in shock.

"Young man, would you mind telling me what you are doing interrupting the proceedings in my courtroom? While you're at it, would you care to explain just who you are?"

Smiling, the man walked closer to the bench, followed by two U.S. Marshall's. Stopping in between the attorney's tables he nodded, "Sure thing your Honor. My name is Cade Hart, and I'm Ellie's father."

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Sam drove as fast as safely possible in order to get out of Lawrence. He knew he was probably burning more bridges, but right now he just needed some space to think because right now all that was going through his head was the last conversation he had in his home, one that changed everything.

"_Hey kiddo, got a minute?" Cade asked as he leaned against the doorway._

_Shocked, Sam came close to slamming the door in his friend's face, but somehow his body just refused to move. Instead he continued to stare while Cade walked in leaving two men outside._

_Cade looked around before he smiled and nodded. "You've done good kid. They're treating you good, right? Nothing hinky like…"_

"_No… no, everything's fine… I'm uh, I'm going to school now… working in the shop on the weekends mostly. Dean's a fireman and saved my ass a couple months ago…" Sam's voice drifted worried that he was talking too much, while still puzzled about how this could be happening._

"_I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but will you trust me enough to listen when I tell you that you saved my life?" Cade asked, but seeing his friend's denial continued. "Johnny, if you hadn't seen what was going to happen, I'd be dead. As it was I came so damn close the doctors already had my death certificate filled out, they were just waiting on time of death. Kid, you know that I'd do anything for you, anything for Ellie, but I got mixed up in something before you left and it caught up with me. I was able to fill in the Sherriff and he helped me out by making sure someone was close enough to help if I called. Honestly Johnny… I didn't think I'd ever need to use it, but I did. You saved me, and I can't thank you enough for that."_

_Shaking his head, Sam couldn't take his eyes off the scars on Cades face and hands, knowing what lay underneath the clothing. "I'm sorry…I…"_

"_Man, what do you have to be sorry for? I'm telling you… if you hadn't given me the heads up I wouldn't be standing here in front of you right now. As it is I'll be able to get back to my life by the end of the week after a few more loose ends are tied up, I just have to put up with Heckle and Jekyll out there until then." Cade said with a smile as he continued to look around the living room. Suddenly he stopped and it took a minute for Sam to see what he found._

"_Ellie drew that… it's one of the times we took her to the park." Sam said hesitantly, suddenly very nervous about where this conversation was going._

_Cade whistled before nodding. "Wow, she really is the little artist isn't she? So where is she? She upstairs with her dolls?"_

"_No, she's at school. Dean took her on the way to the courthouse… Brittany's back and is trying to get custody of her. Uh… I don't know how…"_

"_I knew about Brittany…her grandfather is dying and wants to leave his only great grandchild a bunch of money to ensure his legacy lives on I guess, so of course she came running to get her meal ticket." Cade spat out, not bothering to look at Sam. Finally he spoke again and smiled, "Don't worry too much about it… with me alive and well, they can't grant her custody."_

_Sam froze in his spot suddenly aware of why he was so nervous. Everything that he'd built had been centered on one fact; that Cade was dead. Ellie would never had been given to him, which gave him the motivation to go to school. The life insurance would never been cashed, which gave him the money for the down payment on the house. The truck parked in front of the house would never have been his, meaning he'd have to have been a burden to his family for rides to wherever he needed to go. The thoughts were spinning out of control in his mind and he felt something start to shift but before he could place what it was he realized that Cade was speaking to him again._

"…_so, you bring Ellie to the courthouse and I'll take care of Brittany and the case then we all can get on with our lives, ok?"_

_Having no real idea what he was agreeing to, Sam numbly nodded before he heard Cade leave. Feeling the walls close in around him, he had only one thought… gotta get out!_

Now as he glanced over next to him, he saw that Ellie was watching him with wide curious eyes, and he had to admit that he was starting to feel better, but wasn't by any means ready to pull over. Giving his little princess a slight smile, he turned on the radio and hoped his brother would forgive him for taking his car.

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"Order in the Court!" the judge bellowed as the murmurings in the courtroom escalated. "Mr. Hart, can you please tell the court why I have in front of me affidavits claiming that you are dead and that Mr. Winchester was granted custody of Ellie immediately after?"

"Your Honor, I can't go into great detail, but I've been a witness in a Federal investigation. Well, that is when I haven't been in the hospital. I gave my daughter to the only person I could trust, and from what I've seen he's done a damn good job in taking care of her… probably a lot better than I have. It wasn't my idea to play dead, but I did go along with it to try and protect Ellie." Cade stated calmly. After gauging the judge's reaction he motioned to Brittany and confessed, "Brittany conned me into getting her pregnant in order to keep something in Johnny's past just that… in his past. When she found out that her parents weren't going to mend fences with her grandfather, she went ballistic and even tried to arrange an abortion but her parents stopped her. If it hadn't been for an accidental run in with a friend of mine, I would never have known that Ellie had been born. When Brittany refused to even see her own baby, it didn't take a genius to figure out her true motive, but that's ok. I was able to take care of her, with the help of Johnny; no one else. So to settle this little dispute quickly… I'm alive, she's unfit and Johnny is doing what he does best; look after Ellie."

As the judge pondered Cade's words, the courtroom fell into a tension filled quiet. No one knew what would be the deciding factor, but they all knew that what had just been said had probably saved the court many hours of tedious deliberation.

Brittany's attorney had just stood and was about to make an announcement when the judge interrupted him. "Sir, I suggest you sit back down. I had my suspicions about your client's motivation, but this brings a whole new level of disgrace. I suggest that you discuss with your client about withdrawing her claim so we can all get down to what really matters."

Outraged, Brittany stood and marched out of the courtroom ignoring the protests of her attorney but hearing the ruling of 'case dismissed' fall from the judge's mouth.

Cade turned to the Winchester's before letting out a deep breath. "So he's on the run, huh? Can't really say that I blame him… I handled everything wrong. I tried to talk to him on the phone but he freaked out every time, so I don't know why I thought he'd react any better seeing me in person."

"Wait… wait a minute… that was you?" Dean exclaimed. "Sammy was so damn freaked that he actually passed out! What the hell is wrong with you?"

John was trying to pull Dean away from Cade, but it was a lot like wrestling with a raging bull. Finally getting the upper hand, he managed to move Dean out into the hall before losing his grip. Mary was doing her best to calm her son down but it didn't seem to be working. Finally though something else brought Dean's attention away from trying to rip Cade apart… his cell phone rang.

Looking at the caller id display he stared unbelievingly at it for a moment before he answered with one word, "Sammy!"


	15. Chapter 15

Sam had to stop for Ellie to use the bathroom at a small gas station on the side of the road. While he waited, he did the only thing that made sense in his confused mind; he called his brother. As the phone in his hand rang, he couldn't get rid of the nervousness he felt. What if Dean didn't answer? What if he was angry and didn't want to talk to him? What if…

"_Sammy!"_ Dean exclaimed, making Sam wonder if this was really a good idea. Finally though he decided that not answering would make his brother worry more.

"I'm here." He said simply while trying to help Ellie wash her hands. Noting the pause, he started to worry that he'd been hung up on until he heard Dean let out a long slow breath.

"_Sammy, are you ok? Where are you? Tell me where you are and I'll come get you and Ellie, just… tell me where you are."_

"Dean, it's not that simple. Cade's back, and with everything… I just… I can't, I'm really sorry." Sam said sadly before he cut the call and turned off his phone. Helping Ellie out of the bathroom, Sam tried to shake off the heaviness he was feeling that he could easily associate with what he'd done.

Looking around, he saw a phone book on the worn counter and immediately looked up the location of the nearest bus line. Seeing that they weren't too far away, he smiled before looking at the clerk.

"Excuse me, but if I give you an address can you have my car towed for me?" he asked, hoping that he could at least right one wrong. Getting an affirmative answer, he nodded at the agreed upon price and filled out the information the man needed. Not wanting to take any chances though, he waited to make sure they treated Dean's car right. It may not be the Impala, but his brother had pieced the Camero together before he was sixteen and had quite an attachment to it. Seeing it being transported down the road, Sam took Ellie's hand and they quickly made their way to the bus station.

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Dean couldn't believe what just happened. Well, yeah, he could… it was just hard to believe that it happened right then. Looking at everyone, he sullenly admitted, "My phone's dead."

John had never been one to keep the latest and greatest gadgets around but had been happy to know that his boys had cell phones in order to keep in touch with everyone away from the house. Now though he was cursing himself for not having one so they could try to get in touch with his youngest. Glancing at Mary, he knew that she wasn't taking the news well but also knew that she wouldn't let anything get in the way of her finding out some answers.

"Did he say where he was? Is he and Ellie ok?" Mary asked, already reaching into her purse for her set of keys.

"Mom, calm down. I didn't get much out of him just that he doesn't think coming back is simple." Dean said while looking at Cade with sudden understanding. "You told him that you were going to take Ellie, didn't you?" he exclaimed, looking at the man before him and the temptation to tear him a new one raged through his body once more. "Do you have any idea what you'll do to him if you do that?"

Cade had known the Winchester's were trouble the first time he'd heard about them from Johnny, now it looked like he was right. Shaking his head, he held out his hands. "First of all, Ellie's my little girl even if Johnny has conveniently forgotten that. Second, I imagine that he'd feel about the same way I did when I had to let her go to him to keep her safe. Another thing… she's never responded as well with me as she has with him… so no, I wasn't planning on tearing her away from him. I told him as much, but I doubt if he heard any of it… he was more than just a little shell shocked to see me."

"So what, you just decided to drop in for a visit, shake things up then disappear again? I don't think so." Dean snarled at the other man, not liking the thought that his little brother was just a toy to be played with.

"Son, let Cade talk." John said while trying to keep himself in between the two men who meant so much to his youngest boy. "In fact, why don't we all go somewhere and figure this out."

Cade looked at the Marshall's and knew his time was almost up. Shaking his head he looked at the Winchester's before speaking again. "Look, I'll admit that my first thought was after everything was cleared up, then yeah… me and Ellie could get back to the way things were. BUT… that was before I saw what Johnny had done for her. I'm not saying I'm walking away from her, but I am saying I'm not going to change the way things are; I think that would just put her back the way she was." As the Winchester's watched, Cade walked towards the Marshall's before turning back around. "Something you should know. Johnny's running scared, he won't hurt Ellie…hell, she's his number one priority, but he can be a little reckless with himself at times. Just remember that and I'm sure you'll find him. Tell him I'll see him later… for a visit."

Dean wasn't sure what to think, and instead stood in shock at what he saw and heard. Turning to his parents, he couldn't help but ask, "Does this mean Sammy get to keep Ellie?"

"I'm pretty sure son, but let's find your brother first before we start to celebrate."

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Cade sat in the sedan staring out the window trying to ignore the tension in the car. He had lied to the Winchester's and he knew that it would eventually catch up with him. Even though it was true that his buddy Johnny had made a home for Ellie and even got her to open up, she was still his little girl and it was high time people remembered that. Unfortunately he knew that if he'd admitted the reasoning why he was putting himself at risk coming out in the open so soon, the Winchester's would make sure to tip the kid off and then he'd really have trouble finding them.

"So, what… you're just going to sit off to the side until they hunt down the Winchester kid? How's that going to help you get what you want?" one of the Marshall's asked, wondering why they were still on babysitting detail.

"Yeah, I'll wait. If everyone starts looking for him, then he'll hide deeper. Trust me, this is better. Hopefully by the time I get my new life handed to me, Johnny will be back and I can take Ellie with me." Cade said without feeling. Ever since hiding her in the cabinet before the attack, he couldn't feel much except the need to have her close. That had been impeded by the hospitalization, therapy, and even the protection detail, but that was about to change. Once he was given his new identity, he'd make sure that he never repeated the same mistakes again; including giving his sweetheart to someone else.

The Marshall's looked at each other with foreboding. They both had been briefed on the case, and knew about the daughter who was staying with a friend until it all settled down, but now they were more informed and they had to wonder who was scamming who. It had never made sense why the Attorney General's office had taken such an interest in Hart's case, but then to make such an outlandish deal really made them wonder what the real deal was.

Mulling over his life, Cade knew when to take an opportunity and when to let one pass. Getting the chance to start over was more than an opportunity; it was more like a dream come true. No record, no one from the past dropping in and asking for help with a 'special problem', just a chance to make a life that had never even been hinted at for him; how was he supposed to turn that down? Now though there was just one piece missing, his little girl; he may not have been the best father, but damnit that was going to change too… he just wanted a shot at it.

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Knowing that the money in his pocket was the only amount truly his, Sam took his one credit card out of his wallet and immediately did a cash advance from a bank along the way, maxing out the card rendering it useless, but put enough money in his pocket to last a little while.

Hesitating at the door of the bus station, he looked down at his little princess trying to gauge her reaction. Seeing the tranquil expression, Sam took a deep breath and walked with her inside and straight to the ticket booth. Suppressing his nervousness, Sam smiled warmly to the attendant.

"Hi. I was sent to buy tickets for my family. I need two tickets to San Diego, two to New York, and three to Daytona."

It took a few minutes for the tickets to be verified and printed, giving him even more time to second guess himself. _What was he doing? Wasn't he just becoming the one hurting his family more? Ellie belonged to Cade, what did he really have to offer her?_ The feel of something grasping his legs brought him out of his thoughts. Seeing Ellie holding him with so much love and confidence, he knew that any doubts in his mind were now gone.

"Hey princess, you ready to go see Cinderella?"

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Dean had been chomping at the bit to get home and call his little brother. He was sure that one day they would look back on this and laugh, but right now they just needed to get everyone back where they belonged. Before his dad had a chance to come to a complete stop, he was out of the Impala and racing towards the door.

It didn't take long to dial the number, but what he heard made that internal Sammyalarm of his go into overdrive. Hanging up on the prerecorded message letting him know his brother's phone was off, he was heading back towards the door when his mom met him at the threshold.

"Sweetheart, I think you need to come outside."

He rushed out to the front of the house hoping to find some sign of either Sammy or Ellie, but instead he saw a man unloading his car from a flatbed tow truck.

"What the hell?"

John knew that the scene before them wasn't the one Dean wanted, but it was the closest they had at the moment and he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Barring Dean from accosting the man, John asked the question on everyone's mind. "Did you see the man driving this car?"

"Huh… oh sure, sure… nice young fellow with an adorable little girl. He asked me to tow his brother's baby home and to be as gentle as possible, so that's what I'm doing. Oh… I think he left you a note inside. I didn't look, but there seemed to be a piece of paper on the seat." The man said with a nod before he got back in his truck and left.

Not hesitating another moment, Dean rushed to the driver's side and saw the note the man was talking about. Not bothering to shut the door, he sat in his car and read the note, his heart feeling heavier by the second.

_Dear Dean,_

_The only excuse I have is that I wasn't planning on doing this. One minute I was picking up Ellie so Cade could see her, the next we were on the interstate getting as far away as possible. Now though I understand that there is more than me and Ellie involved, but I can't bring myself to turn back around no matter how much it hurts to know that I'm the one causing everyone so much pain. I know that this makes me a selfish bastard, but I can't let Ellie go and I'll do whatever it takes to keep her with me even if it means that we have to keep moving in order to do it. _

_I hope that one day you can forgive me from walking away from the family we were building. Give Mom and Dad my love, and take care of yourself, you mean more to everyone than you know._

_Love,_

_Sam _

_P.S._

_I swear I didn't hurt your car!_

Dean let the piece of paper fall from his hands and rested his head on the steering wheel trying to think of any place that Sammy would go, but kept drawing a blank. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself heavily out of the car and turned towards his parents who were worriedly watching. Knowing that there was no easy way to say it, he told them the truth.

"He's turned off his phone and isn't planning on coming back."


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Sorry for the wait... feeling a little under the weather. Hope everyone likes this one.

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Logan stood off to the side and watched as Dean spoke to the Captain about some time off. Everyone knew that the Winchester's had been looking into Sam's disappearance, so it was no surprise that the oldest brother would ask for not just his vacation time, but anything else he could get too. Little did the kid know that he wasn't going alone. As he continued to watch, he thought about the past few days and how many dead ends they all had come across since finding the bus station that Sam had been last seen. He had to give the young man credit, buying different tickets, and then falling off the face of the planet was genius; now they just needed to figure out where he and Ellie were and reunite the family before something else went wrong.

The sound of a door opening brought Logan out of his thoughts abruptly especially once he saw Dean's face. 'Damn kid, you've aged overnight.' He thought, worried about what would happen if they couldn't find Sam and Ellie.

"So, you packed and ready to go?" Logan asked as he slung his own duffle onto his back.

Puzzled, Dean looked at his friend before asking cautiously, "Yeah, why?"

Shaking his head, Logan grinned. "Because I don't want to have to waste anymore time wondering about you packing, so let's go." Sensing Dean's objections, he held up his hand. "Dean, I'm coming with you; that's a statement not a request. The family knows what's going on and agrees with me, you need someone to keep you out of trouble."

Dean looked at his friend a moment before nodding and leading the way towards his car. He still couldn't believe that his little brother had been thinking about him while his own world had to be falling apart. Sliding into the driver's seat, he waited until Logan was belted in before he started the engine and pulled into traffic.

"This is what we know. Sam withdrew every last penny he could off a credit card that I'm still wondering why they issued it to him; he's a college student for Christ's sake! Who in there right mind gives a college student a ten grand limit? Anyhow, after that he bought a total of seven tickets, going to three different cities, he basically disappears. No one can say for sure which one he was on, it seems that they have record of them boarding each bus, but no one can remember what he looked like or if Ellie was with him." Dean took a deep breath and wondered just how bad things could get before he was fitted with a little white coat.

"Ok, so we know he's alright, he's thinking fairly straight if he was able to come up with that elaborate of a plan, but now we just have to figure out if he's really on any of those buses." Logan said while trying to picture how else the youngest Winchester could travel with a small child and no one notice. "Hey Dean, didn't you mention once that the kid could hot wire a car?"

Smirking, Dean nodded. "Yeah, he can if he wants to, pretty damn quick about it if you ask me. I've already looked into any stolen vehicles in the area but there wasn't anything that popped up; just joy riders mostly, chop shop fodder for the rest of them. Man, there was this Mustang that came up that was completely decked out, but when they found it the next day it was already stripped down and only identifiable by the VIN, I hate to admit it, but I cried when I heard that."

Logan smirked at his friend and wondered what they were missing. Airplanes were out since the kid's ID would have shown up, the buses were a bust, there wasn't a train station close by to where the kid was last scene. What were they missing?

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Sam wasn't much for motorcycles, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to ride one if he needed to, and right now he really felt that need. It hadn't been hard to find someone willing to bet their ride on a bank shot that would have had most moderate pool players sweating, after all if he had lost he would have had to hand over ever remaining dollar he had in his pocket, and the watch that his brother had given him for Christmas that he had insisted he'd gotten second hand, but Sam had seen the receipt for.

It was getting close to dinner time, and that was something that he was adamant about; he'd stop for every meal and each night at a decent motel for Ellie. Each day they would repeat the process until they finally got to their destination and hopefully were able to relax for a little while. Stretching as much as possible, he knew they'd have to stop soon, since his muscles were tightening and he knew that Ellie couldn't be faring much better on the Honda Shadow. Sighing, he couldn't help but wonder if he was really doing to right thing, but the feel of Ellie's arms around his waist negated all doubt and urged him forward down the highway in hopes of fulfilling at least one promise he'd made in her life.

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Mary had no idea what to do with herself, and that was at complete odds to what her inner self was screaming at her; 'DO SOMETHING!' She knew she needed to do something, anything to help search for her missing family, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. As soon as they found out about the bus tickets, she had been on the phone talking to people, and even made the drive to the bus station to talk to the sales clerk personally while John took it upon himself to go to each routes first stop and ask questions. Unfortunately neither one of them had been able to track down Sammy any further. To make matters worse she had the most peculiar feeling that they were missing something vital, and it was driving her crazy.

As she wiped down the kitchen countertops for the fifth time that day, an odd thought occurred to her that sent chills running down her spine. No sooner had that thought finished working through her brain, she rushed to the phone and dialed the only person that she thought could possibly help.

"_Hello."_

"Brian, I need to know if you have any idea where Sammy and Ellie are?" she asked frantically, knowing that if what she had learned from Bobby and Caleb were true, then her brother could easily find out where her baby had gone.

Sighing, Brian stayed quiet for a moment before answering. _"Calm down Mary, he's fine. I don't know where he is, but believe me when I say we'd know if something bad was happening to him. Although I must admit that his choice in friends leaves much to be desired."_

"Friends? He's with friends?" Mary practically shrieked, wondering why they wouldn't have insisted Sammy call to let everyone know he was alright.

"_No Mary, I'm just saying that this recurring friendship he has going on isn't all that it seems. Look, I don't know where he is, but I do know that he's doing the right thing by trusting his instincts. Now I really have to go. I'm sure you'll find him."_

With that, the conversation was over and it made Mary truly wonder just who her brother was. Feeling somewhat better that Sammy wasn't harmed, she was getting ready to fix dinner when the rest of what Brian had said filtered through her brain. _'…I do know that he's doing the right thing by trusting his instincts.'_ Sammy's instincts had told him to run because Cade was back. Was that the friendship Brian was talking about? Had Cade lied this whole time and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch Ellie after all?

Not liking the questions she was thinking, she quickly called John and asked him to come home; they had a lot to discuss.

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Cade knew that everyone was going to underestimate the kid, and now he was proven right. Part of his 'agreement' was that Johnny would be watched at all times, but somehow the agent in charge of that thought that since "Sam" had settled into a fairly predictable routine, and that it would be easy to trace any activity on his bank accounts. Unfortunately, no one took into consideration that if a person withdraws cash, then there is virtually no way to track someone. So now he was having to endure questioning from the Marshall's office in regards to where he thought "Sam" was right now.

"So let me get this straight. You tell me that you're going to watch him, you knew that he feels more comfortable on the move, I explained his quirks, and now that you have totally screwed up, you want me to help you?" he asked tiredly, wondering not the first time today how he always seemed to get hold of the officers who won't believe anything until they see it.

"Look, we get that you're upset, but you have to understand that our job is to protect you, not babysit a guy who you've practically tossed to the wolves. In fact, the only reason why we're this close to your little girl is because you were able to con yourself into special privileges; no one just walked out of being dead in order to grab someone and expect to disappear again… not unless the really higher ups get involved. So how about you cooperate or we get in touch with the Director and fill him in on exactly how many times you've broken your end of the bargain." One of the Marshall's ground out through clenched teeth. He'd had to watch the guy in front of him bend the rules so many times it was starting to get on his nerves.

Letting a smirk pass over his features, Cade shook his head. "You still don't get it do you? He's already outsmarted you, and there's no way you're going to find him. Why do you think I wanted someone watching him? I know him, and I know that if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. Face it guys, both you and your agency blew this big time, and now Ellie's gone!"

The other Marshall stood and stared at Cade with silent understanding. "You knew he was going to run, that's why you pushed him so hard… you knew exactly what you were doing with those phone calls! That's it… I'm calling this in and then we're heading back to headquarters, there's no way we're letting you waste anymore resources than you already have."

Cade watched as both men walked away discussing the situation, and knew that this was the perfect time to get himself out of this situation. Getting up from the couch, he quietly made his way to the door before he checked the location again of the agents. Satisfied, he smiled knowing that he'd have his work cut out for him staying one step ahead of the men in the other room, but then again he always did like a challenge.

They heard the door click slightly as it closed and knew what it meant. Smiling they relayed the latest news. "He's on the move. We'll inform you as soon as he makes contact with the witness."

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Sam was more than a little happy that Ellie was finally asleep, since the day had obviously caught up with her. He knew that her behavior the last couple of hours was his fault, disrupting her routine was never a good idea, but this last episode had to have been a record. Wincing as he moved off the bed, he stretched his bruised body and was thankful that they'd be in Orlando the next day, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with riding on the bike.

Looking over at their helmets, he really had to wonder what had possessed him to pick a motorcycle to ferry a five year old across the country. Then the scene from a couple of days previous flashed through his head and he remembered fully why he had picked the bike… no one would expect it. Walking over, he picked up the small helmet of Ellie's and smiled at the light purple color with the stickers they had bought scattered across it. It had been a good day when they put the colorful decals on, Ellie even smiled as she thought about where to place each one. Putting the item back, he turned and looked at the tiny girl sleeping on the queen sized bed fondly before his smile disappeared and the empty lonely feeling started to take hold again. He refused to dwell on what was missing, it was his choice, but he couldn't help but miss his brother, his parents, and even the house that he had started to consider home. Reaching for the phone, he dialed the familiar number, but on the last digit he paused and stared at the touchpad sadly before setting the receiver down again before closing his eyes and prayed that he was doing the right thing.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Sorry for the wait... been feeling awful with a migraine, hope this makes up for it.

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As Mary looked around her sons' house she couldn't help but wonder if her family would ever be able to piece itself back together. It had now been a full week since Sammy had taken Ellie and disappeared. Now as she cleaned her family's home once again, she could almost feel the connection from her children fade from the house they were so determined to make a home, and that scared her just as much as the thought of never seeing either Sam or Ellie again.

"Please bring them home safe." She prayed as she once again stood in the middle of the living room of the empty house. "Please, help Dean bring them home.

John knew exactly where to find his wife, and wasn't disappointed when he walked through the kitchen and dining room to hear her plea. He knew that she would never give up, she hadn't after Sammy had been ripped from his nursery all those years ago. No, if she hadn't been broken then, he knew she wouldn't do so now; there was just too much at stake.

"Sweetheart, lets head home now, Dean's going to call soon and you know how he gets when we don't pick up right away."

Nodding, Mary lightly laughed. Yes, she did know how agitated Dean could get if they didn't immediately answer the phone, they found that out the hard way the second night of Dean's search and it was something they were determined not to repeat. Looking at John she smiled. "You're right, I don't want him calling the police again."

Smiling, John wrapped Mary into his arms and held her close. This was a time that either they joked about everything, or let everything take them down. Being Winchester's, there was no way they were going to allow the latter to happen.

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Dean was more than a little frustrated, and even Logan was getting a point of irritation that he'd never seen before. It had been a week since his little brother had walked out of his life, a week that left him wondering what the hell was really going on, and a week that he knew his little brother really needed him but had no idea how to help.

Seeing the sign for a motel close by, he nudged Logan awake and pointed to the billboard silently asking if they needed to stop or go on. Seeing his friend roll his eyes he smiled and bypassed the motel in favor of a truck stop that promised 'home cooking' in the hopes of loading up on more coffee as well as gas for his car. Sighing, he knew that they were getting nowhere fast, but without any distinct impression of which direction Sammy went, it was hard to figure out where he was going. So far what they had been able to piece together was that he bought tickets for four different destinations, and then didn't get on a bus. The only stolen vehicles in the area had been either quickly found, or the owners had been caught in insurance fraud which made Dean wonder if his little brother was so out of his mind that he took Ellie hitchhiking instead.

"So we getting out or what?" Logan grumbled lightly, knowing that his friend had no idea that they were sitting in a parking space with the engine still running.

Snapped out of his reverie, Dean shook his head as if to knock any stray thoughts out of his head before turning off the ignition and headed towards the diner's door knowing that he really needed coffee and a big steak if he had a chance of staying awake until they made it to their next destination.

As they took a booth, Dean thought about where they had already been. They had easily found out the first scheduled stop for each bus that Sammy was supposed to have been on. Knowing that it would be time consuming, he and Logan had made the trip to visit each one in hopes that someone would have seen either one of his missing family. Now a week later, they were no closer to finding them and it was more than a little tiresome knowing that he would never have made a detective, not that he had ever really wanted to be one. Looking over at the man across from him, he felt relief that he wasn't in this alone. Sure his dad had planned on coming, but then that meant his mother would be alone trying to figure things out from that end by herself, so they all decided that Dean would go alone.

"Ok, so now that we've looked in all the right spots of where he should have been, we need to figure out where he actually was then try again." Logan said with confidence, knowing Dean was starting to doubt himself. "We know he went to a bank close to the bus stop to get a cash advance on his credit card, then he bought tickets for four destinations that we now know he never intended to go to. I have to tell you something man, that kid brother of yours is either brilliant, or totally paranoid."

Dean smirked and nodded, he'd been thinking the same thing. Not knowing how exactly his little brother's mind worked it was hard to… Suddenly something started to slide into place and he felt that he finally found a piece of the puzzle he was missing; he did know how his brother's mind worked, everything he did was for Ellie. If he could start to figure out what would be best for Ellie, he was sure he could figure out where his brother went.

"Damnit Logan, we've been going about this all wrong. We've been wondering where Sammy would go to feel safe… we need to figure out where Ellie would be willing to go with minimal stress!"

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Sam wasn't sure exactly what to do next. They had finally made it to Orlando and got settled into a decently priced hotel that even had a pool, but it seemed that it was taking Ellie longer to come back from whatever place she often went to. He hated to admit it, but it seemed that all their achievements had gone out the window in this short amount of time.

Sighing, he looked once again to his little princess who sat in front of the bed and stared out into space without acknowledging anyone or anything around her. Of course it hadn't helped that they had arrived at the same time a youth group from South Dakota who were determined to make sure everyone knew that they had arrived. It had taken him over an hour to get Ellie to calm down from that ordeal only to find that she had gone into her shell with no sign of coming out anytime soon. He hated to admit it, but at this point he'd even take one of her fits as opposed to her being so lost inside herself.

The knock on the door startled him out of his musings and it took a moment to push down the fear that they'd been found before he remembered that he'd ordered a pizza from the shop down the street. Feeling more than a little foolish, he shook his head as he went to the door berating himself for being a dozen types of fool. After paying the teen and giving him a sizable tip for the wait, he turned to face his little girl and almost dropped the box and soda's in his hands.

"Johnny hungry."

Quickly placing the food on the small table, Sam scooped Ellie into his arms and held her close. "Yeah princess, I'm hungry… how about you? I bet you're ready to dig in aren't you?"

Looking into Ellie's eyes, he could see that although she wasn't completely back with him, she wasn't completely gone either. Satisfied that he hadn't made her worse from the ordeal of their trip, he carried her to the table and helped her get ready for dinner. Smiling, he was happy to see at least a small bit of Ellie back with him and knew that it was just a matter of time before she was with him all the way again.

"Hey Ellie, how about you and me go visit the Princesses tomorrow? We'll see Cinderella and Snow White, and probably Belle too. What do you think?" he asked as he took a bite of pizza anxious to see what her reaction would be. Just as he thought he'd pushed too far, Ellie stopped rocking in her chair.

"Jasmine."

Laughing, Sam knew that things were going to get better. "Of course, we wouldn't want to forget Jasmine. Maybe you could have breakfast with them, what do you think?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't pushing too hard. He'd read the brochure about the characters having breakfast with their guests and had already signed Ellie up for it. It had cost extra, but he wanted to make sure that this was a good experience for her, even going so far as to make sure they knew about her 'condition' so they could plan accordingly.

Seeing that the conversation was over, Sam sat silently and watched as Ellie continued to eat and contemplated once again what the hell he was really doing running cross country with a little girl in tow. He lost count how many times he picked up the phone and started to call Dean only to cut the call before the first ring. This was something that he had to do himself, he'd already messed up his family's life, he was determined not to drag them through anymore of his issues. Speaking of which, he still hadn't notified Dr. Malloy of what was going on. In fact, he hadn't even fully decided what to do about it, and wasn't that just twisted. Here he was trying not to get caught, and he was still thinking in terms of college schedules. 'Make up your mind idiot; you can't have it both ways.' He thought angrily to himself while trying hard not to think about the life they had left behind, the doubts of what he was doing slamming hard into him once again.

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Dean couldn't believe that he hadn't seen them before; it wasn't as if he'd never been followed before. Ok, sure the last time was because of a jealous boyfriend of a classmate in high school, but still he shouldn't have missed these guys in the first place. Sighing, he noticed a small turnoff and after letting Logan know what was going on, he turned abruptly hoping that the guys in the sedan would be stupid enough to follow. Seeing that his plan didn't work, he growled out his frustration before heading towards the closest gas station.

"Dean, calm down and think. If they're following us, it's because they have no idea where Sam and Ellie are…I'd consider that a good thing." Logan said as he kept an eye out for the mystery car, not wanting to mention though that they could have other people watching them too.

Nodding, Dean knew Logan was right. The only problem was that if they figured out where Sammy was, they now couldn't go to him in case they lead whoever straight to him and Ellie. Feeling as if he was in over his head, he contemplated what to do when he felt a light punch on his right arm. Looking over he realized his friend had been talking to him and he had totally spaced out on him.

"I said… how about we eat. I saw a place down the road, we can get some coffee and try to figure out what we're going to do next."

"Yeah, ok… see, I knew there was a reason I let you come along." Dean said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, like you could have stopped me."

It took less than five minutes to find the small family restaurant, settle into a booth, and let the waitress know that a pot of coffee was the first order of business. Once that was accomplished, they started going over what they knew, where they'd been, and the last time anyone had seen or heard from the wayward brother. Since they were currently in Missouri, it was easy to feel as if they hadn't accomplished anything in their search, but Logan was right… if people were following them, then they weren't close to Sammy and that was more than enough to make Dean a very happy man.

Thinking about Ellie and what would be the most helpful for her, Dean knew that his brother would have made sure that he took her someplace safe, friendly, and even someplace where kids could have fun. He knew there were several places around the country that fit that bill, but had to wonder just which one it would be, not to mention how he would get her there. It was getting dark outside and he knew that another night of driving when they had no true destination in mind was not what either of them wanted to do, but there was no way he could sleep decently until he figured this out.

"Mommy… why can't we go to Disney World? My friend Casey went and she said it was the _greatest_!" a little girl whined in the next booth, causing both men to suddenly jerk out of their thoughts and stare at each other in disbelief.

Feeling as if he'd been kicked in the stomach twice, Dean couldn't get a word out even to thank the waitress for the food she brought them. Instead he watched his friend's expression and saw that he too couldn't believe they hadn't thought about it themselves. Then he heard his friend say something that echoed his sentiments exactly.

"Well Hell!"


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Hope everyone likes this one... thanks again to Sammygirl1963 for helping me find the words to pull the ending together.

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Normally a phone call in the middle of the night would have scared John to death, but now he could only consider it a possible blessing that one of his boys was calling home. Answering the phone, he was both pleased and slightly disappointed that it was Dean's voice he heard coming over the line, he hadn't realized just how much he'd been hoping it was Sammy until he heard his eldest son.

"_Dad, this is very important, where is Disneyland?"_

Looking at the receiver as if it was a complete oddity, John tried to calm Mary down while figuring out what his grown son wanted to know about an amusement park at 1am. "Dean, are you drunk?" he asked, hoping that the stress of the search hadn't gotten to him.

"_No Dad, I'm not drunk. Logan and I have a lead but decided to get a few hours sleep before we jumped on it, but now we're sitting here trying to figure out where we're actually going."_ There was a moment of silence before he spoke wearily. _"Dad I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner, but we think that maybe they headed for Disneyland and…"_

"Disneyland or Disneyworld, Dean?" John interrupted suddenly awake with the possibility that they found the missing members of their family.

"_Uh Dad, I have no idea… Logan did you know there's two?... You did?... Man…Dad, really I don't know, we just sort of lucked into this and I have no idea…wait… what do you mean you already knew?... oh… well…hold on Dad… what?"_

John listened to Dean talk to Logan in the background and was thankful for the moment to gather his thoughts. He knew that Sammy had mentioned Disneyland several times to Ellie, but he wasn't sure if that would be the true destination especially since he knew people were out looking for him. He was just about to try to get Dean's attention when Mary smacked his arm and thrust a magazine in front of his face. Puzzled, he looked at the article pertaining to dolphins and Autism and felt as if a switch had just been turned on.

"_Dad, Logan knew there were two but since they're on two different sides of the country…"_

"Dean, Orlando… Sammy went to Orlando to let Ellie swim with the dolphins!" John exclaimed, thankful that he finally had something to contribute to this conversation.

"_Dolphins? Dad…Ellie can't swim… ok, she can kind of but…"_

"No son, it's a program that people pay to do. I guess you go to one of these places and you can swim with actual dolphins. Supposedly there's been some success with those programs and Autistic children. If he was going to go to one of the Disney parks anyway, I'd bet he'd make sure to sign her up…"

"…_and see if it helps. Dad you're a freakin' genius, we're heading out now. Oh, and tell Mom thanks!"_

Hearing the call being cut, John nodded and turned to his wife who was smiling with tears in her eyes. "It'll be alright now sweetheart, Dean's bringing them home."

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Logan couldn't remember the last time Dean smiled so long, and he couldn't be happier. This past week had been grueling in not knowing what was going on with the younger Winchester's, but now they had an idea of where they were heading and it seemed like the day had dawned brighter than ever.

Having called home while waiting for breakfast, he knew that his own family was doing well even though they missed him. His wife being the wonderful woman she was understood the reason why he had to do this, and in fact insisted that he not come home until the family was reunited or else he'd spend the next month on the couch. Knowing when he was beat, he smiled and agreed sensing that he'd have a hero's welcome once he got home.

Looking over at Dean again, he saw how the younger man seemed energized, ready to drive all day and night now in order to get to his little brother and niece. He knew he liked Dean, but this really put an emphasis as to why; to Dean, family was the most important thing to him, and nothing would stand in his way to do right by them.

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Sam wished that he had gotten more sleep, but the worry of Ellie being in a completely foreign element had kept him up and pacing most of the night. Now though, after walking through the gates, he knew that it was something that they needed to see through, he had promised her more times than he wanted to count, and he wasn't going to let her down.

"Alright Ellie, the Princesses are inside ready for you so I want you to be on your best behavior, ok?" Sam asked as he once again repositioned the hair ribbon in Ellie's hair. Seeing that she was as ready as _he_ was ever going to be, he guided her inside and was surprised by the warm welcome they both received when the characters saw them walk inside.

"Ellie! How wonderful for you to come, please sit with us!" Cinderella exclaimed happily as she waited for Ellie's hand before escorting the little girl to the table.

"Daddy, how about you eat with us, there's plenty." Snow White said while clapping her hands and pulling him towards the table as well.

As he looked around, Sam wondered if maybe he got the characters mixed up and that possibly he was Alice after falling down the rabbit hole. It didn't take long though before Belle whispered in his ear and things finally fell into place.

"The other parents usually just drop their little ones off, but we thought she'd be more comfortable with you extra close."

Nodding, Sam was more than a little thankful that they had thought about something like that, he honestly hadn't figured out what he was going to do while Ellie ate and visited with the ladies that she had an extreme fascination with. As he watched, he saw how his own little princess watched each one of the others in everything they did as if she thought they were the most wonderful creatures on the planet. He was even more amazed that she was copying each one as they would daintily sip their drink or butter a piece of toast. Sam wasn't sure if he was more amazed or thankful that he had seen the brochure, either way he knew that it was worth what he paid and more to see this little bit of the former Ellie shining through.

Too soon though it was time for them to go and Sam wasn't sure what they should do next. Although he'd gotten them a week pass, he had actually planned on having a full day of just him and her trying out every ride that Ellie seemed interested in. Looking at his little girl though he realized that she had enough excitement for the day and agreed silently that it was time to go, they'd come back some other time to spend the whole day. Picking her up, Sam was heading towards the exit and missed the slight smile on her face as she watched the Princesses wave at her.

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Cade Hart stared at the man before him not able to comprehend what he had just heard. "What do you mean he pulled ten grand off a credit card and disappeared? Who'd be stupid enough to give a credit card like that to a college student?" he asked, wondering just what was wrong with the world that he couldn't even trace his best friend's whereabouts by conventional means. "Tell me your friends found something."

Feeling uneasy, the stocky man shook his head. It was bad enough that he and his partners had failed to find a trail of the kid, but to have to admit that some amateur had lost a tail was more than just embarrassing. "Look Mr. Hart, I get that you're anxious to get your little girl back, but from what I'm seeing she'd not in any danger. We'll keep watching the parents and when they slip up we'll be there to make sure you get little Ellie back."

Nodding, he watched the man walk away and turn a corner. It was another bright sunny day in Lawrence, but at the moment Cade couldn't care less about it. Right now all he wanted to do was find Johnny and Ellie and be done with this whole mess. He had walked out of witness protection early because he wanted to be the first one to find them, but now he was realizing that there was a reason why his friend had survived so long; he knew how to get around without people noticing. How many times had he just taken for granted that the kid's mode of transportation just appeared at the right moments, or that he didn't starve to death when no one was there to make sure he ate? No, he definitely had gotten used to thinking of Johnny as an abstract constant, but not as the individual person he had become. Instead he was content in the knowledge that if he or Ellie ever needed him, then Johnny would move Heaven and Earth to make sure he was there to help. Now though, he was going to have to think the way Johnny does in order to get his little girl back which meant going back to a sort of mentality that he had thought he'd walked away from. That thought brought a snort of laughter from him after all he had only just walked away from that mentality a couple of months ago. Sighing, he pulled out a map and tried to get into the head of his best friend, deep down knowing that the kid was more of a daddy to his little girl than he was and or ever would be.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I hope you all enjoy this one... Oh!! and uh... tissue alert?? ENJOY!!

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Sam sat and watched as Ellie continued to nap. He was becoming more and more thankful that he hadn't pushed a full day at the amusement park seeing as his little girl had immediately crawled into bed and fell asleep as soon as they got back to the hotel room. Now though he had to wonder what exactly he was doing. So far he'd taken Ellie away from everything that had become dear to her, traveled half was across the country on a motorcycle with her on the back, and now was holing up in a hotel room that he wasn't exactly sure how long it they'd be able to stay before they had to move again. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and stood hoping that the answer to this mess that he'd made would suddenly appear out of nowhere. Disappointed that it didn't, he once again looked at the phone and fought his instinct, but after a few minutes of silent debate, lost the battle and dialed the familiar number.

"_Hello."_

"Mom… uh… I'm sorry; I just didn't know what else to do. I wanted to let you know that we're ok."

"_Sammy, please…"_

"I gotta go, tell Dad… sigh… tell him I'm sorry."

After hanging up the phone, the reality of what he'd just done crashed around him making him wonder if possibly he'd really lost his mind. 'Why did I do that? Now they'll trace the call and…' his thoughts drifted away as Ellie started to waken.

"Hey Sweetheart, feeling better?' he asked, hoping that the nap had put her in a good mood because now they were definitely going to have to move. "Ok princess; let's get everything together so we can get out of here."

It didn't take long to pack everything, and even less time to get the bike loaded, unfortunately that seemed to be where Sam's luck ended since Ellie suddenly realized what was going on and refused to participate any further.

Trying to compose himself, Sam tried everything he could think of to get her on the bike without risking a fit but nothing worked making him feel that possibly something else was going on. Finally though he'd had enough arguing and instead found himself motioning to the diner across the street.

"Fine… you win… how about we eat something first, ok? Then we can figure out our next move even if it means we don't move at all." He said wearily, hoping that whoever it was that Cade had on their trail were far enough behind that this added delay wouldn't matter.

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Dean had been driving all night and felt more wired now than he had when they had left Lawrence. He knew that they had a city but nothing else, but that didn't matter… he'd find his little brother and drag him home if he had to. All he had to do was wait for a break and then everything would be ok.

The sound of his phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts enough to realize that Logan had dozed off in the passenger seat. Amused, he tried not to laugh as he answered the phone.

"Hello!"

"_Dean, Sammy just called. He wanted us to know that they were alright, but it sounded like he wasn't planning on coming home ever."_ John said tersely, he'd already had a long discussion with Mary and knew that time could be of the essence. _"Son, we called the number back. They're at The Trade Winds Hotel in Orlando. Apparently it's close to Disney World and there's only one location. I don't know if he'll still be there when you get there, but I'm hoping this will get you two closer to finding him."_

Closing his eyes, Dean tried hard not to curse, and instead nodded. "Ok, we'll head there first. Do me a favor though, if he calls back try to stall him, we're only a couple of hours away and if we're lucky we can get there before he disappears again." Agreeing, John told him to be careful before cutting the call, leaving Dean to wonder what he was going to say to his brother once he caught up to him.

"So what's the word?" Logan asked as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had heard part of the conversation, but was hoping for some confirmation.

"Dad says Sammy called, he was able to call back the number and get us the name of the place he's staying." Dean said happily ready to break any and all speed limits to get there quicker.

Puzzled, Logan looked out the window to get his thoughts together before he asked the question that was starting to gnaw at him. "Don't you think that's strange? I mean he's been this quiet for this long and suddenly he makes a phone call and doesn't even try to hide it?"

Startled, Dean looked over to his friend for a moment before worry started to eat away at his senses. It _was_ strange, especially knowing how smart his brother is. Now with this new information bouncing around in his head, he knew that they needed to find Sammy soon; if for no other reason than for his own peace of mind.

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The diner wasn't crowded giving Sam a sense of relief that possibly they would be able to stall another outburst like the one several people had witnessed in the hotel parking lot. Sensing Ellie's stare, he looked down and understood that she was feeling a little uncertain about what was going on, making him kick himself even more for not understanding what she had needed earlier. Quickly kneeling before her, he smiled and spoke softly to let her know he wasn't upset.

"Ellie, we're going to get something to eat and then we'll figure out what we're going to do. No more bike rides until we do, ok?" he asked, hoping for some sign that she was fully on board with what he told her but was disappointed when her attention flickered to something across the room. Looking he saw a poster of a dolphin swimming underwater and he couldn't help but smile. "How about we sit over there?"

After getting comfortable in the booth, Sam realized that he was actually looking at a blown up photograph. Amazed, he continued to stare at it until he heard someone approaching.

"Hey there, I'm Layla and I'll be you're waitress today so what would you like to drink?" Layla asked nicely as she watched the little girl in the booth look in awe of the enlargement on the wall. "Do you like that sweetheart? I was able to catch Simon on a really good day."

"You took this? In the water?" Sam asked, suddenly wondering why it was getting hard to breathe in the room as he looked up into the most startling pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen next to Ellie's.

Smiling, Layla nodded before she began pointing out the markings that made this particular dolphin so distinguishable. "You see this mark… it's where he went up against a shark probably when he was younger. He's got a small chunk missing from his flipper on the other side but it doesn't slow him down any."

Amazed, Sam continued to watch the young woman as she enthusiastically told them about Simon and how she'd met him several years ago. Not able to concentrate on the exactly flow of conversation; he had almost missed her question.

"So, I'm sure you're not here to listen to me drone on and on, what would you like to eat?"

"Uh… let's see… how about a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of macaroni and cheese for Ellie, and I think I'll stick with burger and fries." Sam stammered, feeling his face redden by the moment.

Making notes on her order pad, she took a moment to look at the two people in front of her before nodding and making her way into the kitchen.

Watching Layla walk away Sam groaned and dropped his head to the table with a loud thud. 'I have got to be the biggest dork. Good thing Dean's not here, he'd never let me live this down.' He thought while at the same time wishing his big brother _was_ there.

Layla knew a connection when she felt it, but she wasn't exactly sure how to go about exploring it. Sighing, she waited for Cutie's order to come up before she slowly began her walk back towards the table. Suddenly she had an idea and hoped it would work out the way she wanted.

"Here you go, on grilled cheese with a side of mac n' cheese, burger and fries heavy on the fried. You know… if you'd like to see Simon in person, I'd be more than happy to share my time with him this afternoon." She said smiling, hoping that she didn't seem too pushy.

Stunned, it took a moment before Layla's words registered within Sam's mind but even then it was the feel of Ellie's hand on his arm that broke him out of his bubble. Seeing the intense gaze Ellie gave him he knew there was only one thing he could do.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, then yeah… we'd love to meet Simon."

"Great! My shift ends in half an hour, so when you're done just wait here and they you can follow me, ok?" Layla asked happily as she put the check on the table and walked happily off.

"Ellie, I think I'd follow her anywhere." Sam said softly as he watched the waitress tend to her other customers. Taking a moment to look at Ellie, he noticed the little girl was also watching Layla closely.

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Dean wasn't sure exactly how he felt about what he had just learned, in fact at the moment he was trying hard not to think; especially about his baby brother and niece on a motorcycle. When he heard the maid describe in great detail about how Sammy and Ellie had taken off down the road on the back of a bike, his heart almost stopped. When he felt he could breath again he barely caught Logan's inquiry to where they may have gone, and barely stood still for the answer.

"Yes yes, I know who they were with… Layla from across the street. Such a sweet girl, too bad she won't let go of her father's madness. I'm sure they went to her home… Serendipity Cove. It's where her father has the Marine Institute and does all his research. Crazy man; thinks dolphins are the answer to everyone's problems."

Barely bothering to get directions Dean rushed towards the car intent on getting to Sammy before his brother took it in his head to disappear again. Checking to see Logan rushing to put his seatbelt on, Dean could only hope that they got to wherever they were going before Sammy got himself into anymore trouble. They had no idea if anyone else was close by, but he as determined to make sure his family was safe – no matter what it took.

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Looking around the grounds, Sam wondered about the small family who still put everything they had to try and make a dream a reality. Layla's dad was a marine biologist with a bit of an obsession with dolphins, more precisely how they interacted with humans and the possibility of having healing properties. He wasn't sure what he thought about the man's theories, but he did know what he thought about his daughter.

As soon as they walked onto the property Layla had welcomed him and Ellie with open arms, not only showing them around the cove and the docks, but also the areas where the research was done giving them an exclusive peek into the real world of science… or as Sam would always remember it…more forms to fill out than he could ever remember. Looking over towards a small group of palm trees, he watched as Ellie entranced Layla by just being herself as she drew pictures in the dirt. It took a moment before he realized that he was now looking into two pairs of beautiful eyes.

Layla laughed at seeing the startled expression on Sam's face. "I take it you found what you were looking for?" she asked, knowing that he had been more intent on watching them than finding the soda machine. "You know, we used to have the funding to run a program where people of all ages could swim in the cove with the dolphins, but since the funding wasn't renewed we had to let a lot of things go."

Sam watched Layla look sadly around the area and after taking a second look he could see what the area could have been at the height of its popularity, now though it looked almost abandoned and he couldn't help feeling sadness at the idea of a dream dying this way. "I'm sorry; it must be hard watching everything your father worked for fall apart."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary. We do alright mostly and Dad still does his research while I still tag along and learn what I can. Right now though it's about time for my afternoon swim, so how about you and Ellie join me… maybe Simon will be in a good mood today."

Simon was the last dolphin left in the cove but no one could figure out why, it was as if the others knew they weren't needed anymore and went searching for someplace else to live. Layla had explained her father's theory's and although Sam thought they were just the wishful thinking of a desperate researcher, he couldn't help but feel the same hope when looking at Ellie. He'd read an article about how dolphins had seemed to help people with certain conditions… autism being one of them. It probably sounded insane, but sincerely hoped that this trip would be beneficial in more ways than one, he loved Ellie and hoped that if there was a chance for improvement then this encounter would bring it out.

Less than ten minutes later, all three were in the water waiting for Simon to show. While they waited Sam held Ellie close and let her feel the water against her hands as the surf rolled gently in. It didn't take long before Layla was cheering that Simon had arrived and they saw him leap out of the water and over them causing them to get even wetter. Sam watched as the object of their search slowly approached Ellie and gently nudged her with his nose. Having second thoughts, Sam was about to take Ellie to shore when she surprised him and held out her arms to Simon. Unsure what to do, Sam looked towards Layla and seeing her approval slowly released his hold on her until she was on Simon's back swimming slowly in circles around them.

"He's done this so many times, but I have to admit that he seems to be taking extra care with her." Layla whispered in awe as she watched the interaction between Simon and Ellie. Finally she saw something that made her smile even more. "Look Sam, watch her face!"

Sam looked and noticed right away that Ellie was beginning to smile and it was the best sight he could ever thought of. It wasn't until Simon started to really play that Ellie started to laugh, just a slight giggle at first then louder until the cove was filled with the sound. So happy to hear it again, Sam swept her off Simon's back and laughed as he twirled her in circles while the water lapped around them. So caught up in his excitement, he failed to notice that they were no longer alone, not that it mattered. After they were done, Sam was determined to yell from the highest rooftops about what happened, he didn't care if he sounded insane, he was getting his Ellie back!

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Pulling to a stop at the Marine Institute, Dean's concern grew as he looked over the place and compared the worn down buildings to something from a horror movie he'd seen once. Not wanting to take any chances he was about to suggest to Logan that they should be armed when they heard it, first a slight tinkling as if the sound was drifting through the trees, then it got louder until suddenly Dean knew what it was. Leaving Logan behind, Dean ran to the cove and stopped suddenly as he saw for himself a small miracle; Ellie was laughing and hadn't stopped all the while Sammy was joining her and smiling as if he'd been given the greatest gift, and without a doubt he had.

Deciding not to intrude, Dean did something so completely out of character that it had Logan worried; he sat down and waited.


	20. Chapter 20

Cade Hart had never been known for his patience and at the moment he making his displeasure known to the very people he had hired to help find his little girl. He knew that Johnny was smart, both intellectually as well as street wise, but that didn't help him at the moment especially with the knowledge that feds weren't going to help since he withdrew his request for protection, and the men working for him couldn't seem to find their ass from a hole in the ground.

"So let me get this straight. Not only can't you find him and my little girl, but you couldn't even follow his brother for more than one damn state? What am I paying you for anyway?" he asked as he paced back and forth across the motel room. He was past tired, but refused to give up; there was no way he was going to let Ellie go without a fight.

"Look Mr. Hart, you hired us to find this Johnny kid and get your daughter back, that's what we're going to do but you have to give us a little more time. We did it your way, now let us do it ours. If we don't find any sign of them by the end of the week, then we'll reevaluate the situation and if necessary you can bring in someone else."

Looking at the stocky man in front of him, Cade wondered what he had been thinking calling in these people. It had been a long time since he had any dealings with them at all, and it hadn't been pleasant, in fact if it hadn't been for Johnny…

"Alright, I'll give you till the end of the week, but you remember our agreement… you don't know where I am or what I'm doing, in fact you don't know me at all, got it?" he said, making sure the other man and his partner knew he was serious. Although he could tell the men understood, he also knew there was no way they could know how deep he was really in. All he needed was a break to find Ellie, and then he'd take her out of the country far away and not have to look over his shoulder anymore. If only he could get a break…

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Sam was ecstatic and didn't care who knew it, Ellie was starting to come back to him; he could feel it. He always knew that she was in there somewhere and had always taken offense when others would claim that she was lost to her condition, but he had never believed it; he had known that if there was a way, he'd be able to bring his happy little girl back.

Smiling widely and holding Ellie tight he turned towards the shore and stopped suddenly when he saw the unexpected audience happily watching. Not sure what to do or to say, he continued to stand still with every emotion he was feeling radiating off of him like the sun. Seeing his brother for the first time in weeks hit him hard, and although he felt horrible for leaving like he did, nothing could change the fact that this wonderful moment had actually been shared just like he had wished for.

"DEAN!" Ellie screamed, reaching for her uncle while giggling at the silliness she perceived around her.

"Hey there princess… 'bout time you noticed me, I was starting to think you forgot me." Dean joked while reaching out towards her until Sam was able to place her in his arms. Happy to feel the familiar body close to him, he was even happier to feel her arms wrap around him tightly. "Sammy, I think it's time to get her back to the room, don't you?" he asked calmly while watching his brother. Seeing the smile slowly slide off Sammy's face, he shook his head. "I just mean I bet she's getting hungry and needs to change clothes. How about you, think you can eat?"

Sam tried to gauge Dean, but decided it would be best to take things at face value. "Yeah, I think I could eat." Suddenly remembering where he was, he turned to Layla. "Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me!"

"Oh, I think I can guess. You know, you all are welcome to come back anytime. I've seen Simon work miracles, and I have a feeling he's not completely finished if you want to try again." Layla said hopefully. She had no idea why she was offering, just a feeling she had when she was around Sam made her want to give him everything she had to offer and not ask for anything in return.

Dean looked between his little brother and the girl before him and knew exactly what needed to happen here. "Hey you know… we're going to be here for what… a week? How about we all go out for dinner and you can fill us in on what we all can do after we get our fill of Mickey Mouse?"

"Mickey!" Ellie exclaimed, giggling once more surprising those around her.

Laughing, Dean cuddled closer to Ellie and enjoyed the feeling of Ellie's giggles against him. Now he knew what Sammy had meant when he described her laughter as contagious, now he understood why he never gave up hope on hearing it again. "Sure thing sweetheart…Mickey."

Not sure what his big brother was up to, Sam could only stare at Dean in puzzlement. It wasn't until Layla herself stretched out her hand and introduced herself to both Dean and Logan that Sam snapped back to the moment and started to follow the conversation.

"Ok, so it's a date. We'll go get cleaned up and meet you at the diner in an hour." Dean was saying making Sam wonder what rabbit hole he'd once again fallen into.

"Dean?" Sam asked, wondering why his voice suddenly had a pleading tone to it, but before he could form the rest of the question, Dean turned back around and smiled.

"Don't worry Sammy; big brother's got your back."

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Layla wasn't sure why she was so nervous, it wasn't as if she was meeting a complete stranger for dinner. Then again, maybe she was. She didn't really know anything about Sam and his little girl except that he obviously loved Ellie with or without the Autism. Looking into the mirror once again, she huffed at her hair and decided to put her dark hair up in a ponytail. It would go with the casual beach look she was shooting for since she didn't want to seem too anxious or even desperate, but oh how she wanted to be next to Sam again.

Before locking the front door she looked around and once again wished that her father's dreams hadn't come crashing around him. Now though she had less than a month to take care of his affairs before the bank finished foreclosing upon the property and all the equipment inside. She had hoped to stay longer, but even the bank's VP couldn't hold the wolves at bay any longer. Now she was facing not only losing her home, but her best friend as well since she knew that with Simon being so old, he'd leave soon.

Sighing, she pushed back those thoughts and brought forth the picture that she would carry in her heart forever; Sam and Ellie twirling around in the surf with the sun reflecting off the water and the cove echoing their laughter. Happy once again, she made her way to her car and headed towards the diner in hopes of sharing and enjoying a wonderful evening with her new friends.

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Dean and Logan watched in amusement as Sam paced across the hotel room nervously trying to figure out what shirt to wear. If they weren't having such a great time watching him work himself into a tizzy, they would have pointed out that the one he was holding up was the same one he had on earlier. However neither one could get a word in edgewise with his muttering things about 'sending the wrong message' and 'what am I doing' oh and their favorite 'what if this isn't what I think', it was enough ammo for both men for a long time.

"Sammy, calm down, it's just dinner… unless something else is going on that you'd like to share with the rest of us?" Dean said while trying to keep a straight face. He wasn't stupid, he'd seen the way his little brother had looked at the girl, and if he wasn't mistaken it was the same look she had returned to his Sammy. Now if he could only connect the two then maybe they all could have a great time tonight.

"Huh? Dean, come on, get your mind out of the gutter… we only met her today, there's no way…" Sam stammered out, not wanting to admit that he had actually felt something there, but didn't want to mess it up. "You know, maybe I should stay here, you know and uh…I don't know, make sure Cade's not close."

'Lame, little brother, so very lame.' Dean thought as he watched Sammy's face start to turn bright red. As he watched though he suddenly realized that this was probably the first girl that Sammy had really fallen for since Ellie came to them, for that matter he was fairly certain that his little brother had never fallen this hard before. "Look Sammy, calm down. We lost our tail a long time ago, so we're all safe for now. How about we take this one day at a time and try to enjoy ourselves for a little while. You need a break before school starts… don't give me that look, you're going to finish school even if I have to march you into every class myself, and I need a break as well. Logan will fly back in the morning, so how about we give him a happy memory to tide him over until he gets back home?"

Sam looked stunned for moment before he turned towards Logan suddenly feeling horrible that this whole mess had dragged Dean's friend into it. "Logan… I don't know what to say. This whole time you've been here and I haven't even… man, I'm really sorry."

Logan held up his hand to stop Sam from talking anymore. "Kiddo, I'm just glad we found you and in one piece. Still can't get used to the idea that you put little munchkin here on the back of a bike this whole way, but that's ok, we're all here and that's what counts, right? Now how about we not leave that cutie you've snagged waiting?" he asked as he headed towards the door.

Dean slapped his knee as he stood and held out his hand to Ellie. "Come on princess let's go and give Daddy here a minute to put on his face." He said while laughing. They had just barely cleared the doorway when they heard the wadded up shirt hit the door and Sam's laughter echo through the halls as he joined them. No one knew what the future would hold, but at least for now they were together.

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Although he had agreed to give his associates until the end of the week, didn't mean that he was going to sit back and do nothing. Cade had a feeling that the men working this case wouldn't find out anything, Johnny was too good at covering his tracks for that. However there was something that had happened within the last year that would make the kid come to him. Now he just needed to solidify his plan.

"Johnny, how many times have I told you that having a family just makes a person more vulnerable?" he asked quietly as he looked down at a picture of Mary and John Winchester in the front yard of their home. "Very vulnerable."

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AN: Yes, I know... mean, horrible, evil even... but you love me anyway... right?... uh... right??


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Hope you all like this one... don't hate me for the ending... ok?

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Sam was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation going on around him and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Sitting exactly across from him was Layla who was more beautiful now than she was when they first met and he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. He felt like some sort of dork sitting there hanging on her every word while his brother kept the conversation going in his normal Dean fashion. Occasionally Ellie would grab his hand to help her with a particular complex design that she made and wanted colored, but otherwise everything else was ignored.

Dean watched his little brother fall deeper in love with the woman across from him and he had to admit that on it seemed that Sammy had found someone special. Now if they would just wake up and admit it instead of dancing around the subject then everyone would be happy. Although he was used to keeping a conversation going with a member of the opposite sex when the situation warranted it, he was definitely not used to acting as matchmaker and his new self imposed title stunned him. It wasn't that he'd never seen Sammy with a woman, on the contrary; before Ellie, Sammy could rival Dean in the 'dating' department. However, as soon as their little princess walked back into their lives then he and everyone else around them noticed the change in the youngest Winchester. Now his little brother was a much more serious person, which was good in a way, but frightening in many others.

"So Layla, you've lived at the cove for several years?" Dean asked, hoping to more information about the woman he was starting to hope would be a part of the family.

Layla smiled a moment before nodding. "Yes, most of my life actually. Dad was determined to make his dreams a reality, now though there's nothing left." She said sadly, momentarily lost in her thoughts. "He had to take a position on a research vessel in the Pacific and I've been trying to keep up with the place until he gets home but he called me a couple of weeks ago and admitted that what he had planned for many years hadn't worked out the way he had envisioned so he agreed to stop fighting the judgments against him."

"Judgments?" Sam asked, wondering what could have happened to make someone give up everything.

"Remember I told you that Dad thought dolphins could help people? Well, that was Dad's goal all along. Unfortunately, he ran into a few people who couldn't accept that their loved ones couldn't be helped. It turned into a media circus for awhile and even now the locals will whisper behind his back that he's a fraud. They don't realize that he never claimed to be anything more than a researcher; that he was just as amazed by the cases that worked as everyone else."

"So you're going to have to leave your home soon?" Logan asked already knowing the answer since he had taken a few minutes to talk up a chatty clerk earlier in the day.

Smiling, Layla nodded, "Yes I'm afraid so. It's actually going to take a little bit of getting used to, but I have a secret." Seeing Ellie perk up she whispered, "I don't like living on the coast so much."

The table broke out in light laughter after Layla's revelation, leaving Dean to wonder more about this girl as well as the expression on his brother's face. If he didn't know better he would have thought that Sammy was seeing something far off, but then it passed as quickly as it came leaving Dean wondering if he should be concerned.

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John hated the idea of leaving Mary alone at the house, but with another summer going into full swing then the garage was busier than ever with people wanting to make sure their cars were at its most fuel efficient peak. So instead of trying to help find out what happened to not just one, but both boys, he was loaded up with tune-ups and tire rotations.

Sighing in relief, he pulled the Impala into the driveway and prayed that tonight would be the night that Dean would have the presence of mind to call and let them know what was going on. If they had to wait any longer, he didn't think he'd be able to keep Mary off the next plane to Orlando. The last call they had to go on was when Dean called asking about Disney World. That had been a couple of days ago and he and Mary knew that their oldest boy would have broken every speed limit to get there in record time. Now they just had to wait until their son called again to find out what was going on.

As he walked into the house however he knew something was wrong and it didn't take him very long to figure it out. "Mary, what are you doing?" he asked as he watched her fold more clothes into a suitcase.

"Dean hasn't called back, the attorney is getting frantic, and even that nosy neighbor behind us has an opinion about Sammy's actions. I'm going to find out what's going on and if you know what's good for you then you'd either help me or move!"

Not sure whether he should be shocked or amused by his wife's outburst, John reached out and stilled her hands pulling her closer to him. "Sweetheart, give Dean one more night. If we haven't heard from him by morning then we'll both go."

Mary paused only long enough to see the promise lingering in her husband's eyes before she gave a quick nod and continued with her packing, this time including John's clothes as well. "One more night John, that's all."

Knowing that tone, John could only agree and pray that Dean called. He didn't want to unleash Hurricane Mary on an unsuspecting Florida.

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After seeing Layla off, the remaining group headed back towards the hotel. Before actually entering though, Dean knelt down and whispered into Ellie's ear. Seeing her smile and nod, he smiled and handed his niece to Logan.

"You two go on ahead, we'll be there in a bit."

Logan knew what was about to happen and he was more than willing to keep Ellie out of it. He just hoped that whatever did happen helped the two brothers instead of tear them apart.

Before Sam had a chance to object, Dean grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side to avoid unwanted attention. "So, care to explain why I had to chase after you?" he asked, trying to stay calm but so many different 'what if' scenario's were playing out in his mind it was hard not to hit something.

Sighing, Sam knew that this was coming and had actually hoped that it could wait… like forever! "Dean, can't this wait at least for a little while?" he asked, but then saw the set look on his brother's face and knew there was no way he could put it off any longer. "I had to leave Dean. If I had stayed then we would have lost Ellie, and Mom and Dad would have spent every dime they had to get her back. I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't lose Ellie, and I damn sure couldn't be the one that our parents threw every last bit of what they'd built away on. I don't know why Cade is back Dean, but everything that I've worked so hard to accomplish has been based on him not being alive. How sick is that? I spent so much time mourning my best friend, then basically took over his life only to find out he's not dead and he's more than anxious to take it back!"

Dean wasn't sure what to say, he'd suspected something like that, but to hear it first hand was something else. "Sammy, Cade said that he isn't going to take Ellie away, that he still wants to see her, but that's all."

Sam stared at his brother for a full minute before he started laughing so hard he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Right, so he's dead for a year, walks out of witness protection, comes back and doesn't plan to destroy my world. Right… tell me another one Dean."

Stunned, Dean wasn't sure why he felt the cold dread in the pit of his stomach, but what he just heard brought back some doubts that he had about Cade's return. Seeing his little brother tearing himself up over this whole situation made him even more aware that this hadn't been an easy decision for Sammy, that he'd been wrestling with it every step of the way. "Ok, so why do you think he's back?"

Shaking his head, Sam could only watch the flickering expressions on Dean's face while he pondered the same question. If Cade was in some sort of protective custody, then he had to have walked away from it in order to see Ellie; the real question was why. Thinking about what Cade had told him, he had to wonder what trouble he had gotten into that would warrant a deal with the government. "The only thing I can think of is to get Ellie back."

Something told Dean that what Cade had planned so far was only the beginning and that somehow Sammy was the real target.

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Feeling the need to lighten the mood, John had decided that it was past time for him to take his wonderful wife out on a date. After spending almost an hour convincing her that it wasn't a betrayal to their boys and Ellie if they spent a few hours having fun themselves, it was agreed that a quick dinner and a nice leisurely drive was in order. In the effort of reliving their first date, they immediately went to the small local pizza parlor whose main clientele was college students and enjoyed a small pizza with extra toppings just as they had so many years ago.

Leaving the small establishment, Mary hung onto John's arm as they strolled along the sidewalk enjoying the feel of the warm evening air. She had to admit that the time away from the house had helped her get a better grasp of what had been happening lately and strengthened her resolve to make sure they were on the first plane out in the morning if they hadn't heard from Dean by midnight. At the moment though, she was content in the here and now and continued to watch John's face as he reminisced about how they first met even though it was complete and utter crap. Then she thought about it and knew that there was no way John could have figured out that they had met once before.

"No John, it wasn't at the post office, it was Kelly Jameson's party." She saw his confused expression and smiled. "I was dressed up as…"

"An angel." John said softly before stopping and looking at her. "You were wearing a white dress with makeshift wings and mask made out of glitter, right?" he asked in awe. He remembered seeing her that night, but had never made the connection. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Mary smiled and shook her head. "Because silly…"

The sound of screeching tires and a revved up engine approaching drowned out Mary's words but not her fear. As she looked beyond the row of cars they were walking next to she saw a dark van speeding towards them too fast to stop even if it wanted to; the problem was it didn't seem to want to.

John heard the engine and the tires but could not believe what he was seeing. Acting purely on instinct, he grabbed Mary and tried to push her out of the way at the same time the van smashed through the car next to them sending everyone in close proximity off their feet.

The rear doors opened and a lone figure ran from the scene, easily getting lost in the confusion. He had known that his timing was perfect and had used every second to his advantage. Pausing only for a moment across the intersection he glanced back to see people trying to help the injured while others called for help, but what caught his attention was the couple trapped underneath the once parked car. Yes, his boss would definitely be happy; he might even get a bonus for his ingenuity. Turning, he quickly lost himself in the crowd of onlookers until he was no longer discernable from any of the other spectators.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I'm hoping its at least ok...

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Dean knew his brother wasn't sleeping, no matter how much the kid tried to look like it while curled around Ellie. The question was, why the pretense. Logan had decided to check out some of the local nightlife in hopes of convincing his wife to come back on a weekend trip sometime. With the hotel room so quiet, Dean had no other recourse but to try and make himself useful which meant trying to figure out what to do about their current situation. Now that he'd found Sammy and Ellie he didn't want to let them go but he had a feeling he couldn't take them back home either.

Staring out the window of their room he looked down at the parking lot and felt the vibrations against the window from the Latin beat playing somewhere nearby. He could feel his brother's eyes on him and wondered why it was so hard to say something, anything to open a conversation. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he hadn't slept at all in two days, or maybe it was that he had to get a plan together, or could it possibly be the fact that he actually felt a bit hurt with the fact that Sammy hadn't trusted him enough to ask him for help.

"If I'd asked you to come with us, then the cops would have been after you too. You have a great life Dean, I didn't want to mess that up for you." Sam whispered, knowing that Dean could hear every word. The silence had been unbearable and he would have tried anything to make sure that things were still good between him and his brother.

"Yeah… so having an APB out on you was such a better idea, right?" Dean asked, not bothering to look over his shoulder or turn around. "I just… I thought we were beyond this Sammy." He heard the rustling of bed sheets and knew his brother was getting out of bed. What he didn't know was how this was going to go.

Sam stared at Dean's back and knew that he'd messed up, not by taking Ellie, he still felt confident it was the right thing, but not including Dean had been his downfall. He'd always thought he could handle any situation by himself, but after having help from his family, especially his big brother, he'd gotten used to not having to. "Dean, I know that you have every reason to be mad at me. I just hope that we can move past this. I really don't want to lose you, I don't want to lose Mom and Dad, but I don't know what else to do to make sure that Ellie is alright."

Something in Sam's speech caught Dean's attention and he quickly ran the conversation back over through his brain and knew instantly what it was. "You think that Ellie's in danger if she's at home?" he asked, wondering if maybe this was the missing piece he'd been looking for all along. Seeing his little brother's confused face, he shook his head. "Not from us… from Cade. Do you think that he'd hurt her?"

"What? No! Where would you… how could you…" Sam stammered before he stopped suddenly and then looked at Dean puzzled. "I don't know. Do you think that…"

"… that you picked up on something and not understanding what it was did the only thing you could do? Yeah Sammy, I do. It's the only thing that makes sense. Look, you spent how many years of your life on the road even after Ellie was born. Not once did you want her traipsing all over the place with you, but suddenly you do? There has to be a reason for it, right?" Dean asked as he turned and looked intently at Sam. Smiling, he wanted to encourage his brother to figure this out for himself, and was even content in waiting awhile if it became necessary.

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Lawrence General had had its fill of trauma cases throughout the years, and even had many occasions when the ER was filled to brim with casualties, but none of the staff could remember a time that they all were under scrutiny by the Federal government. Curiosity aside, they all were going crazy trying to get their jobs done with men in suits watching every move. The rumors had ranged from 'someone in the treatment rooms was in Witness Protection', to 'don't panic it's just a drill' causing everyone to roll their eyes and continue to trudge through their overflowing case loads.

Dr. Trent hated days like this in the ER mostly because at the moment the normally organized chaos had been replaced by an underlying panic that made even rushing down the hall to the next trauma room feel as if he was trudging through molasses in winter. No matter how many times he heard that another case had been sent either upstairs or discharged, he knew that there more ready to take its place even though on the grand scale of things they had come out lucky. The driver of the van responsible for the whole mess was long gone, but the after effects were long lasting with his waiting room still housing more injured to prove it. However, since the van had hit a car before slamming into a group of people it was hard to admit just how lucky he considered the whole ordeal; the guy could have crashed through the small restaurant that was still packed with kids.

Sighing, he looked at another set of x-rays while thinking about the two trauma cases that had been moved to the number one and two slots in triage; the Winchesters. Both suffered from internal injuries since they had actually been pinned halfway under the car, the husband had been awake long enough to answer questions and tell the paramedics that 'if anything happens to my wife I'll hunt your asses down' leaving no misunderstandings about the matter. The wife, Mary, had been unconscious during the whole ordeal after apparently hitting her head against a light post. It had actually worked in her favor though since the rescue squad had to lift the car off her arm and no one doubted that it would have hurt like hell if she had any semblance of consciousness about her.

"Jaime, send exam room two up for a surgical consult." He said to a passing nurse as he handed her the films. Looking at his watch he wondered how the Winchester couple was doing with their surgeries. He was mostly positive that John would pull through without too much effort, but his wife was a major concern to them all.

Another call down the hall had his thoughts scatter for a moment before he raced to another room to deal with another case, the Winchesters momentarily forgotten.

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Logan knew that he'd have plenty of time for his flight even with the 'requested' early arrival time, so he had no problems with catching breakfast with his roommates; especially with the entertainment that Sammy was providing with his crush on the very beautiful Layla. Normally he wouldn't have so much fun with someone else's… uh… misery, but there was definitely something about the kid stumbling through this situation that amused him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he had never before seen the kid fumble through romance even when he first came to town, or maybe it was something more innocent, like the look on Sam's face every time the girl was close to him.

Standing outside close to the parking lot it was easy to see Layla walk into the diner already dressed for work. It amazed him though that Dean hadn't tried to make a move, but then again it shouldn't have been such a surprise as protective as his friend had become of his little brother. Obviously his friend had boundaries that he wouldn't dream of crossing; the longer he knew the Winchester brothers, the more he was becoming amazed.

"Hey man, you ready to chow down?" Dean asked as he walked up towards Logan.

Startled, Logan smiled slightly before looking around. "Where's the rest of the troops?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure which one of them's primping more Cinderella or Snow White." He said as he motioned upwards towards their room. In all actuality though, he was glad that Ellie was in a good mood and that Sammy was taking his time getting ready… it meant he really wanted to impress this girl. "So, she there yet?"

"Yeah man, she's there just like clockwork. So how are you going to handle this… a sudden urge to bond with Ellie, forgotten wallet?" Logan asked, knowing that this breakfast wasn't just going to be for food.

Seeing Sam and Ellie walking towards them, Dean slapped Logan on the chest and smiled. "Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Amused, Logan just rolled his eyes and started towards the diner knowing the others would meet up with him. It would definitely be nice to get home, but right now he would take a moment to enjoy the local fare with his friends.

The small bell rang out as Ellie rushed through the door on her way to the booth she sat in yesterday, leaving the three men to hurry after her in case she started getting upset since they were out of sight. It didn't take long for all of them to get settled and start a whole new conversation debating the merits of toast vs. biscuits. When Layla brought coffee for the guys and milk for Ellie, the debate was in full force with Ellie giggling wildly.

"Hey there, you're just in time. The boss decided to do his famous Mickey blueberry pancakes, and trust me… it's worth looking at that cartoon mouse shape while eating them." Layla said while smiling at Sam.

Dean saw the look on his brother's face and couldn't resist. "Oh yeah, Sammy'll take that, you have nooooo idea how much he loves that little guy."

Sam groaned and ribbed Dean with his elbow; somehow he didn't think that his brother was helping any. He heard Ellie clap and giggle, and suddenly he couldn't make himself stay in a sour mood. Watching Ellie as she started to chatter lightly to the picture of Simon, Sam knew that his little girl still had a long way to go, but at least she wasn't in her perpetual 'shy mode' that she had seemed to be stuck in for so long; now if they could just bring that out to people then he'd know that she was really getting better.

"Ok, so that leaves you Sam. Something tells me that you don't want the grease plate like your brother, so how about I just get you an old fashioned breakfast?" Seeing Sam's embarrassment for being pulled out of his thoughts, Layla smiled and waited for a nod before she turned and disappeared into the kitchen leaving the table to do what it seemed to do best; harass Sam.

"Dude! Are we even related? You can _not_ just let her walk away!" Dean whispered harshly. "Seriously… what are you thinking letting her get away – again!"

Sam would have answered except that Logan had jumped in giving his opinion until he finally looked at Ellie for her thoughts only to be faced with an excited little girl making her opinion widely known.

"Johnny like Layla!" Ellie giggled and clapped enthusiastically causing many of the other patrons to turn and smile at her.

Groaning, Sam could feel the heat in his face. His protests were cut off by the sound of Logan's cell phone causing the attention to switch from Sam to the object in Logan's hand. Dean knew that occasionally Logan had used it just to give a quick 'we're fine, I love you' to his wife, but it was also known that his wife would only call if it was an emergency.

It didn't take long for the worry to increase in Dean and Sam as they watched Logan's expression change from confusion to concern to outright worry. They waited until the call was completed before they started asking questions, but it didn't take long before the older man took hold of the situation again.

"Ok, I need you both to stay calm." Seeing that that opening wasn't helping any, he took a deep breath and jumped in. "There was an accident, Gina says that its all over the news, but what you need to know is that John and Mary were hurt and are in the hospital right now."

"WHAT!" Dean and Sam echoed as they jumped up from the booth, both already dropping money on the table and grabbing Ellie and her things. Layla was in the process of coming out of the kitchen with a tray of food when the commotion broke out. However she was unable to get out of the way quick enough when Sam rushed out of the booth causing the tray to crash onto the floor.

"Oh my God, Layla! I'm so sorry…" Sam said as he helped her gather the dishes. "Really, I'm so sorry."

Dean was trying to keep Ellie calm while attempting to get more information from Logan when he saw his brother trying hard not to lose it. Sensing something that they didn't want to broadcast was about to happen, he quickly handed Ellie off to Logan and grabbed Sam by the arm and pushed him outside.

"Breathe Sammy; c'mon… don't lose it now." Dean said while trying to calm his brother down. He could feel Sammy practically vibrate with worry. "I'll go with Logan and I'll let you know what I find out. You and Ellie stay and…"

"NO! Dean I'm not staying… I need to see them too." Sam pleaded. He had no idea why he felt so out of control, but he did know that he needed to be there.

Seeing the stubborn look set on Sam's face he knew he was going to have to bring out the big guns, no matter how low he was going to have to go. "Sammy, you're still on the run. You can't go back, not with Cade out there looking for Ellie. You need to see this through before…"

"No Dean… I need to stop running. Cade started this, and I'm going to finish it."


	23. Chapter 23

The flight into Kansas City wasn't necessarily a bad one, if you didn't mind holding onto the armrests like lifelines the whole way. Dean hated to admit weakness, but he had soon realized that he hated flying even more than he hated the plan they had hatched on the way. As he walked with his little brother out of the concourse he had to wonder what the next move was really going to be, because right now he couldn't see it. Logan and Ellie were driving back with Logan's family, while he and Sammy snuck back home to check on their parents. He knew that his brother was on edge because he wasn't sure how Ellie was going to react to spending the night with Logan's family, but there was no other way around it; with Cade out there it would be too easy to lose Ellie in the chaos that was certain to ensue.

"Dean, we're going to head out now. Let me know what you find out." Logan said as he gently took Ellie from Sam. Seeing the anxiety on the other man's face he smiled. "Don't worry, Ellie and the kids are going to have a blast."

Sam looked at Ellie and knew that he needed to put on the performance of a lifetime if this plan had even a snowballs chance of working. "Hey Ellie, it sounds like you're going to have some fun! How about you go with Logan and we'll catch up with you in a little while ok?"

All three men looked anxiously at the little girl and waited to gauge her reaction. After a few moments Ellie grudgingly went to Logan and refused to look at either Sam or Dean, effectively breaking both men's hearts.

"We'll see you soon." Logan promised and made his way towards the exit with the solemn little girl in his arms.

Seeing how hard Sammy was taking this new chain of events, Dean pulled his brother the opposite direction to the closest car rental booth. "C'mon Sammy, we need to get home and the only way we're going to be able to do that is if we rent some wheels." He said with more gusto than he felt. In all actuality he was feeling more than a little depressed with the knowledge that his little princess was upset with him. Knowing that Sammy wasn't going to be any help at the moment, he quickly took charge and got all the necessary paperwork taken care of as well as putting the payment on the one credit card that wasn't maxed out; he hadn't mentioned to his little brother just how much he'd been using the cards lately, but there had been some expenses come up with the house that needed to be taken care of and there was no way he was going to worry Sammy about it.

"What if this doesn't work Dean?" Sam asked quietly, knowing that they had to basically break into the hospital to make sure their parents were alright. The problem was he wasn't too confident about Dean's burglary skills.

"Dude! Quit worrying, we'll get in, get out, and no one will be the wiser. Until then, lets concentrate on following the plan; we rent a car, sign into a motel outside of town, make it look like we'll be staying awhile, then we double back to check on Mom and Dad. No problem!" Dean said confidently as he signed yet another part of his life away.

Sam knew they were missing something, but for some reason he couldn't figure out what it was. Hoping to think of it before it became an issue, he could only follow his brother as they made their way to the car lot and stood in front of the parking space that held their car.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Dean exclaimed in disgust. "What the hell is this, a joke?" he further exclaimed as he walked around the brand new Chevy Impala. "Ah man… this is so wrong on so many different levels!"

Laughing, Sam shook his head and let himself into the passenger seat as he watched his brother continue to rant about the mockery that such an atrocity could possibly share the title 'Impala'. Finally after ten minutes, Dean reluctantly got behind the wheel and started the engine, holding up a hand in the process.

"Not a word Sammy… not one word!"

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John felt like he'd gone through twelve rounds with Mike Tyson and lost miserably, but knew that he was doing a lot better than the doctors had given him credit for. Now all he had to do was convince them that he should be allowed up and out of bed so he could check on his Mary; he didn't trust anyone to take care of her like he could. The only comforting consolation was their boys had no idea what happened which meant they weren't worrying while they should be concentrating on keeping Ellie away from this mess.

Looking up at the ceiling, he waited once again for the nurse to come in and give him an update about Mary. The tentative agreement was he would stop trying to get out of bed and they would fill him in on her status. Unfortunately, they weren't updating him near as often as he thought they should, making him more irritable by the moment. The lunch tray had been picked up and he knew he was due for more tests as well as another visit from the nurses, but right now all he cared about was finding out how his wife was considering the last update he'd gotten from the doctor earlier in the day.

"_Mr. Winchester, I understand your anxiety but you have to understand that with these types of injuries, the slower we deal with them, the better off she is in the long run. With the swelling in her arm its crucial that we wait about surgery for it as long as possible, while her head injury is tricky in itself; we really have to monitor it closely before we make any sort of decision."_

He might just be a lowly mechanic, but even he could tell that they weren't holding out much hope of his Mary waking up, and the only reason they didn't come right out and say it was because they were worried he'd undo all the progress they had made on him. Sighing in frustration he swore that if someone didn't show up in the next fifteen minutes then he was going to find his own way out of the bed and down the hall so he could check on her himself. There was no way in hell he was allowing Dean, Sammy, and Ellie to come back home to find Mary lying in the ICU hooked up to machines that had an incessant habit of beeping oddly at the most irritating moments; like when a person was actually trying to get some sleep.

Something outside the door caught his attention and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on, then he understood that someone was keeping an eye on him and that person was Cade. Wondering why the man thought he needed to stake out his room, John was just about to call out when the answer came to him harshly; Cade knew that if the boys heard about what happened then they'd be on the first flight home.

'Damn it!' he thought as he slowly maneuvered himself out of bed, careful not to undo all of the good doctors handiwork. There was no way he was going to stay any longer than necessary, and that meant no repeat visits. As he slowly moved his body, he became angry with himself for being so weak. It didn't matter that the doctors were amazed that he was awake, or that the injuries he'd sustained were supposed to have had him laid up for no less than three weeks, he knew that all of that didn't mean a damn thing if his family was in ruins while he was lying flat on his back watching it all go down the crapper!

It took longer than what he had thought possible, but he finally made it to the door, fighting the black spots in front of his eyes the whole time. As he leaned against the wall in the attempt to clear his head, it took him a moment to register the sound of footsteps coming closer, and even longer to comprehend the feel of the hand that grabbed his arm.

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Cade hated waiting for anything; it wasn't one of his favorite pastimes and something he definitely didn't excel at. So how he was waiting for Dean to show up to check on John and Mary, he didn't know. He had received the call stating that Dean's credit card was used at a car rental place in Kansas City, and he knew that Johnny had to be close by as well which meant so was Ellie. Looking at his watch he knew he needed to get ready because it was painfully obvious that if anything would get the kid out of hiding it would be the news of his parents' 'accident'.

Seeing the nurse walking his way he knew he needed to find a new place to wait, especially since she had already told him that unless he was family he needed to leave or face security. Sliding around the corner he was relieved to see her attention on something else giving him enough time to find a different vantage point. Knowing how tight the Winchester's were, the first place Dean would go would be the hospital, that was a given, but what he was really tense about was if Ellie was there too; that would determine if Johnny was with his brother or not.

"Can I help you?" a deep voice asked from behind Cade, making him turn around and face a security guard who looked like he'd had better days. Before Cade could come up with a reason for his loitering in the halls, the guard motioned for him to move towards another area of the hall where they wouldn't disturb anyone else. As he herded Cade down the hall, the guard took a quick moment to glance around the corner and smiled as he saw two figures quickly enter John Winchester's room.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Hi everyone, I'm back... I finally finished (I hope) editing my book... so I should be able to update my fanfic stuff now... yay!! Thanks to Sammygirl1963 and Ephiny for all the encouragement... you guys are _AWESOME_!! Sorry this is so short, but I need to get back into the swing of things... hope you all like it anyway - take care!!

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Whatever is was that Dean had expected, seeing his father about to do a swan dive in his hospital wasn't one of them. As he and Sam grabbed hold of their Dad's arms to hold him up, the thought suddenly occurred to the oldest brother that this wasn't how the plan was supposed to go.

"Dad, what the hell… aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Dean asked as he helped lead the eldest Winchester to the nearest chair.

Confused, John just stared at his two boys and wondered if they were really there or if the morphine had been kicked up a notch without him realizing it. Looking between Dean and Sammy it finally sunk in that his boys were really there and while he was happy to see them, their presence actually pissed him off.

"Dammit, what do you two think you're doing? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" he demanded in a harsh whisper, hoping to keep their visit as quiet as possible.

Sam stood and watched his dad stiffen in pain and knew that the harsh words were due to worry and not real anger; it didn't help his already heavy heart to hear them though. It was Dean though that kept him from having to say anything.

"Look Dad, what did you really expect us to do… sit on our asses and wait for a phone call?" Dean asked heatedly. "Well guess what… we got one, that's why we're here so get over it. How's Mom?"

John knew that Mary's condition was coming up but he'd hoped to postpone it as long as possible, if the look on his youngest boy's face was any indication the news wasn't going to help the kid at all. Not seeing any other way though, he settled for the truth and hoped that both his boys were strong enough to handle it.

"She severely broke her arm, but they have to wait until the swelling goes down before they can operate and clean any debris out and put some pins in. They're worried about the head trauma though, so it's a wait and see sort of deal." He said gently, watching both boys as they digested this new information. He had expected an angry outburst or at least a clenched fist from Dean, but was surprised when the look of panic crossed Sam's face before he rushed out of the room.

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Marshall Winslow had to admit that there were times that he really loved his life, this of course just happened to be one of those times. Normally he was a bouncer at one of the local gay night clubs, but kept his certification up in case he needed it for armed security work. When his friend Nurse Marlee had called out of the blue in hopes of some assistance, he couldn't very well say no… not after as many times that she had bailed him out of messes of his own making. Now he was standing toe to toe with a young man who had somehow got it in his head that he had the right to terrorize the Winchester's, and that just didn't set well with him; especially since he knew the kid Sam from the small support group for families with Autistic children.

"Now I keep seeing you walk around, but I don't see you actually going in any of the rooms and I have to tell you that that makes me suspicious. Maybe you get your jollies seeing sick people, or… maybe you're one of those sickos who like to make people even more ill just for the excitement it causes. Yeah, I think that fits you pretty well." Marshall said as he brought his full six foot eight inch frame even closer to Cade, making the smaller man take an involuntary step back.

Cade hated being intimidated, it was something that had always rubbed him the wrong way and he never found a way to get around it. Now though he was staring up at a man who not only looked like he could literally pound him into the floor, but was actually looking as if the prospect brought him great joy. "Look, I'm not some psychotic, I'm trying to keep an eye on the parents of a friend of mine… he's not in town right now and I know he'd want to make sure someone was here to take of anything that might come up." He said hastily, hoping to get done with this guy soon because right now he knew that dealing with this guy was keeping him from his ultimate goal – watching out for Dean Winchester.

Seeing the little wheels turning in the tiny brain of the very small man in front of him, Marshall knew exactly what to do. Of course it helped that a certain little birdie told him exactly what to look for. "In that case, you won't mind emptying out your pockets, would you? We've have a few incidents of theft from the nurse's station and I'm sure you would like to get this cleared up so you can take care of your friend's family… right?"

Knowing that there was no way he was getting out of this situation without giving some sort of compromise, Cade nodded and started emptying his pockets only to pause when his hand found a small cylindrical object in his jacket pocket and knew instantly it was a hypodermic needle. Looking at the guard's eyes he knew that somehow he had been set up and did the only thing he could do at that moment – he ran.

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It took longer than initially planned but Dean was able to help his dad to his mom's room and what they both saw when they walked in stunned them both. Sam stood at the foot of Mary's bed watching her, not moving at all giving the illusion that he was an odd art form in the ICU room. Neither of the elder Winchester men wanted to disturb him, but both soon understood that although his body wasn't moving, his tears were; making a path down his cheeks unchecked. As they waited and watched, they both hoped that they would be privy to the thoughts that were obviously running rampant in the younger man's mind, but more so they hoped that whatever it was they would be able to help him through it.

Sam looked at his mom and instantly knew that her lying there so still with only a slim hope of waking again was his fault. He was the one who walked back into the Winchester's lives, he was the one who introduced them to Cade, and he was the one who couldn't walk away after getting custody of Ellie. Every bad thing that happened to this family he knew could be traced back to him, and it hurt more than he could have ever imagined, but even more it brought a rage in him that was quickly becoming overpowering. If his family was ever going to know peace again, then he needed to remove Cade from 

the picture, but then again he also knew that Dean would want to be in the middle of it. Knowing what he needed to do, he made a decision and turned to his family.

"This ends tonight, I need to you stay out of it Dean… this is between me and Cade, and I don't want you hurt… I can't have you hurt, not because of me – not anymore." He said trying not to let them see how this was truly hurting him, how much he had come to rely on Dean for so many things but especially as being his friend. Somehow though he knew exactly how it was going to play out even as he hoped he was wrong. As his brother spoke, Sam almost laughed, it was nothing more than he expected.

"We really going to do this little brother? 'Cause the only way you're going out that door alone is if you go through me… you really think you can do it?"


	25. Chapter 25

AN: I hope you all enjoy this, if not well... I'm fighting a cold/bronchitis and have a fuzzy brain to go with it... will try to make the next chapter better.

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Dean wasn't sure where they were going, but for once didn't mind taking direction from someone else. After convincing Sammy that they were in this together it didn't take long before they were heading out the door once again leaving their parents in the capable hands of Marlee. He had no idea what they would do without that little nurse, and was more than thankful that right now they didn't need to find out, but something was starting to bother him; what was that wink she gave him as he passed her in the hallway?

As Sam sat in the passenger seat of the rental car, he was thinking about the last few minutes in the hospital and was coming back to the same questions. He knew Nurse Marlee was a happy person who was more than capable at her job, but something felt different about her today… as if she had a secret that no one else knew and he couldn't help but wonder about it. Before he could ponder it further they were at their destination and he motioned for Dean to pull over.

As they both stood in front of the bar Dean looked at his little brother and hoped that this was at least a mediocre idea, because if not there was a good possibility that he and Sammy would be in the rooms right next to their parents. "You sure about this?" he asked while steeling himself for what they were going to have to do.

Nodding, Sam took the first step towards the door knowing that his brother was with him the whole way. They needed to find Cade which meant they needed information, information from people who really didn't like people snooping around other people's business.

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As Marlee rechecked Mary's vital signs she couldn't help but be thankful that all her years of community outreach weren't for nothing. She'd known Marshall since he was a kid trying to make a name for himself in the worst possible ways and didn't care who knew it. She still remembered the day when he walked into the community center of his neighborhood and gave her attitude for being there. Of course she also knew that he remembered that day as well considering he was speaking in a much higher pitch for a few days. Later he had told her that no one had ever stood up to him before and he thought he could respect her for that. Now close to twenty years later and he was talking to kids at that same community center in the attempt to keep them off the street.

Looking down at her patient she patted Mary's hand. "Don't you worry, those boys of yours are going to be fine and that other boy won't be bothering you anymore, I made sure of it." She said with a smile playing the scene from earlier in her mind. "It's amazing how many people won't check their pockets after someone bumps into them… otherwise he would have noticed the little present I dropped into his jacket pocket."

Hearing someone walking closer, she patted Mary's hand once more before leaving the room careful not to make a lot of noise; Mary still needed her rest if there was any chance of all of her coming out of this whole.

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Looking around the bar both brothers knew that there were definitely times they wished they were someplace else; this was definitely one of those times. Any light in the large room was cast from the overhead laps of the pool tables and the juke box off to the side. Even so though it was obvious that the place didn't have a clean spot anywhere and they'd be lucky if they didn't contract anything just by sitting at the bar.

Taking his seat, Sam waited until the bartender came over with a beer before pulling out a picture of Cade. "When was he here?" he asked, not believing for a moment that Cade would have gone anyplace else to find the help he would have needed to pull this off.

Dean knew instantly when the attention went from whatever else people were doing to them, the tension in the room got thicker and he was wondering how he was going to get his little brother out of there without having to kill someone to do it.

As the bartender stared at Sam impassively, Sam stared back daring the other man to deny it. However when the other man turned and started to walk away it sent Sam into reckless mode as he reached over and grabbed the man effectively yanking him back towards him.

Seeing the fist flying towards his baby brother, Dean blocked it and sent a response of his own causing the rest of the bar to erupt in broken bottles, broken noses and even a few broken heads after some people went headlong into the walls. Now though as things started to quiet down, he saw his brother and the bartender in the same stance as before and he suddenly felt as if they were definitely at the place.

Finally the bartender spoke and it didn't alleviate either of their concerns. "If you're looking for him then stand still 'cause he's sure as hell looking for you."

After letting the man go, Sam subtly checked his brother over for injuries and once satisfied walked with Dean out the door pondering what had just been said and what to do with it. He did know one thing though, he hated when someone threatened his brother.

Dean knew that they needed to get out of the area quick since word had most likely spread of what they were doing there, but as he was walking out the door he quietly looked Sam over for any injuries that might have snuck past him earlier. Once satisfied that the younger man was fine he turned his attention back to what the bartender said and fumed; no one threatened his brother.

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He hated to wait; it was definitely what he was the worst at. It had taken him a while to decide how to handle this situation but he quickly realized that the only way he would be able to secure the outcome he wanted he was going to have to think outside the box. With Dean not showing up at the hospital, he 

had to wonder if maybe he had the wrong target and if how long it would take for Dean to show up at the right one. As he waited in the backyard he wondered what Ellie was doing at the moment. Considering himself lucky that his little girl was often unaware of what was going on around her most of the time, he hoped that they would be able to move passed this whole Johnny business and become the family he always wanted them to be.

Seeing a light come on, Cade worked his way to the side of the house and waited a moment before he tested the kitchen door then quietly made his way through. One way or another, this was going to end tonight.

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Sam suddenly realized that the bartender was right and if we really wanted to find Cade then all they would need to do was stay in one spot. Explaining why they needed to go home hadn't been easy, but he was thankful that his brother trusted him enough to turn towards their house without turning it into a major argument.

When they pulled into the driveway, they both sat in the car and looked at the house as if it were both the most wonderful and horrid thing on the planet. Before they left it was a symbol of their future, Ellie's home as well as hope. Now as they looked at it, it seemed to have transformed into something else entirely and they wondered if this was how death row inmates felt. Knowing that they were making a huge stand here, they both exited the car and made their way inside in hopes of having a little bit of time to prepare for their unwelcomed guest. As they walked inside Dean turned on the light and watched as Sam headed straight towards the bookshelf where they both had weapons locked in a small safe stashed behind some books. They knew they were too late though when they saw the safe empty and heard the faint whisper of the kitchen door open.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Sorry this is so short, I'll try to do better next time. Take care!

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Looking at each other, Sam and Dean knew that the only one that could be walking through that door was Cade, but that didn't answer the rest of the questions running through their minds. Pushing everything else to the side, they knew they needed to defend themselves considering they were the ones at a major disadvantage. Dean had just reached the closet and Sam had made it to the nook by the door when the very person they were waiting on walked into the room.

"I wouldn't suggest that." Cade told Sam while pointing the gun at Dean. "I'm sure you remember the last time you tried to use a bat on me."

Dean didn't like the sound of that and liked it less when he saw how his brother blanched at the reminder. Edging closer to the closet door he was sure he would get to it before anyone noticed but suddenly the bullet that imbedded itself into the doorframe mere inches from his head told him he wouldn't. "Damn it!" he yelled, thankful that it was a damaged piece of wood he was looking at instead of Sammy; he didn't need any reminders of how close they had come to losing him.

"Why are you doing this Cade?" Sam asked as he slowly moved away from the door. He had no idea what to do, but something told him to get his once friend talking and not let him quit.

Cade rolled his eyes before motioning Dean to get down on the floor. "You know, you're pathetic Johnny. You remind me of a lost dog… always there when you're needed or wanted, but always hurt when you realize that you're all alone. I mean c'mon… do you really think that after all this time of taking care of you, of making sure that nothing hurt you that I would walk away? Walk away from you and the life we built? NO… BUT YOU DID! You were supposed to go back home… take care of Ellie there and when I came back it would be no big deal to take off and leave this God forsaken place! But no, you had to take over everything and make it yours… hell, you couldn't even leave these people alone. Sure, they hounded you… but did you really think they expected you to stay forever? God kid… didn't I teach you anything? They'll have their fill of you and your idiotic nightmares, of things getting broken when you get upset… then what are you going to do, huh?"

Not believing what he was hearing, Dean was more than willing to jump up and beat the hell of the guy, but there was one little problem… the gun was now pointing at Sammy. Reaching in his pocket he found his cell phone and hoped he could mute the call he was placing because right at this moment he had no idea how he was going to get his little brother out of this mess.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam asked as he stared at Cade. "You're telling me that you did all this out of the goodness of your heart? ARE YOU INSANE? Ok, sure… you kept me breathing, but you didn't do anything else. God Cade… do you even remember half the things we did?" Sam shot out the question but already knew the answer; in Cade's mind they did what they did to survive and that was fine… no need to dwell on it. "We were almost killed by our own stupidity too many times, but it was your greed that cut it way too close!" Suddenly it occurred to him what had caused this whole mess and he felt himself drop onto the floor.

"Well I don't have to guess if you know what's going on… I can tell you figured it out. Look, if it's any consolation, I really didn't want to drag you into it… you really did show up at the wrong place the wrong time."

"They were going to kill you!" Sam yelled, not believing that his friend could have such a nonchalant attitude about almost being fish bait for a group of gun runners.

"Yeah, by the way… did I ever thank you for making sure they didn't? I appreciate that… really I do."

Dean was ready to beat the crap out of Cade for what he was putting his little brother through and knew that the only thing stopping him was that gun in the other man's hand. Feeling that surprise would be on his side he was about to jump up when he started to feel the change in the house. 'Ah no Sammy… not now.' He thought as he saw Sammy fight for control.

Sam knew he was losing control but couldn't help it… it seemed like everything he'd believed in this whole time was just a lie and it made him wonder what else he was fooling himself about. He knew Dean was trying to get his attention but he ignored him in the effort to keep focused on the gun in front of him. He had an idea but wasn't sure it would work, but at this point he needed to try something. While concentrating on his task, he made the effort to find out just how much of his life had been messed with. "Why'd you go after the Winchester's?"

Feeling as if he'd been punched in the gut, Dean wasn't sure what to make of that question. For months Sammy had been as much a part of the family as he was and now his brother had instantly reverted back to calling them by their names?

Laughing, Cade smiled and gestured with his gun to show how he wasn't worried and gave Sam a sympathetic look. "You took what was mine… I took what was yours. It really was that simple Johnny. Think of it this way… now you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not, now you can go back being Johnny… my best friend and the best Uncle for Ellie." Seeing that Sam wasn't believing any of it he shook his head sadly. "It didn't have to come to this you know, if you'd just shown up with my little girl then we could have left and grabbed the money on the way out of town. Now I have to ask you what you did with it, find out what you did with Ellie and you know I'm not a patient man!"

Stunned, Sam looked between Dean and Cade and wondered if he'd heard correctly. "Wait a minute… you think I have the money? Is that what this is all about? I told you I got rid of it; I told you that there was no way anyone would be able to get it again."

Sighing, Cade turned towards Dean and smiled. "Say good bye to big brother Johnny… maybe he won't resent you too much."

Seeing his chance, Dean rolled more under the end table pushed it upwards to throw Cade off but was unprepared to see Sammy tackling his long time friend to the ground. He was about to join in when the front and side doors crashed inwards allowing two groups of men to spill inside.

"FREEZE, U.S. MARSHALL'S!"


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Hope you all like this one... uh... there might be a bit of a shocker at the end, just a warning... thanks!!

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Dean knew that he should be thankful that the Marshalls' had burst in when they did, but he couldn't help but feel slighted since they didn't wait five more minutes so he could have beat Cade senseless. Now he was sitting on the couch listening to the conversation between his brother and the agents and he didn't feel any better about it.

"…we suspected that there was another person on site, but Mr. Hart kept insisting that it was only him and the crew he shortchanged."

Seeing Sam nod Dean worried about what all this meant for his little brother. "Do we need to call our attorney, 'cause…"

"I assure you Mr. Winchester, there's no need for legal representation. As far as we're concerned we're just tying up some loose ends." Seeing Dean's confusion the agent explained further. "When Cade Hart agreed to give information leading to the raid and bust of one of the largest gun rings on the west coast, our bosses knew there was something more to it. It took some time but we were finally able to piece together his activities before his disposition and we realized it was a little short sighted of us to think that he would just testify and play by the rules. To make a very long and boring investigation short… he was hedging his bets and he almost lost everything in the process. The attack on his life was in retaliation for his demand for more money to keep quiet, and if it wasn't for the advanced warning he had given the Sheriff we wouldn't have made it in time."

Sam let that information sink in for a moment before he looked at the agent. "You want to know what happened to the money he stole."

"Sammy, I think that if you say anything you need to have an attorney close by." Dean said, not sure if he wanted any sort of statement, even unofficially, made without all angles being covered.

Looking at his brother Sam sighed and shook his head. "There's nothing to find Dean, Cade burned it." Seeing the shocked look on Dean's face he shrugged. "He hated his mom; she was everything in his life that he equated with bad or evil. I don't know everything but I do know that she blamed him a lot for her not having much in her life. So, after she died, he dug up her grave while going through a bottle of Jägermeister and promptly passed out before he could do the salt and burn… when he woke up he wasn't in much of a mood to double check the grave and immediately tossed in a match and walked away."

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John sat next to Mary and gently held her hand willing her his strength. The doctors were starting to see improvement and he was taking that as a sign that his beloved wife would wake soon all the while praying that their boys were ok; he didn't know how he'd explain this whole mess if they weren't.

Making the agreement that he could stay in Mary's room as long as he rested too, he was laying back in a recliner bed watching the news and was about to change the channel from the news to something a little more entertaining when something caught his eye and he suddenly wished he was back in his room still plotting the best way to break out of there. Still watching the screen to see what looked to be the whole Lawrence Police Department on his sons' lawn, he felt torn with the need of being where he was with Mary and being where his sons were at that moment. Un-muting the sound but keeping it low he watched in horror as he intently listened to the anchorman report how the U.S. Marshall's had stopped a gunman from killing the occupants inside. It wasn't until they panned to the assailant already in cuffs being put into the back of an unmarked car that his cold terror turned into hot rage; Cade Hart had just tried to murder his boys.

Knowing what he needed to do, he pushed the call button and waited for the nurse to walk into the room. "I'm heading back to my room for awhile but I don't want to leave her alone, could you send in an aide to sit with her?"

Relieved, the nurse readily agreed knowing that he had been pushing himself too far too fast. "Of course Mr. Winchester, we'll take good care of her while you're resting." She said with a smile.

Nodding, John gingerly maneuvered his way out the door; he needed to get home to his boys without interference from well meaning people.

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Dean could see that the agent and his partner had no idea what his little brother was talking about, and he had to admit he was having a bit of a problem following the dots himself, but he knew that Sammy had a point and all he needed was a little bit of encouragement.

"So, he set fire to his mom?" he asked, watching his brother pull himself out of a memory before staring at him.

Nodding, Sam knew Dean had no idea what that meant, but that was ok; the less his family really knew about the supernatural the happier he would be. "Yeah… but he didn't see that I lined the casket with the money while he was passed out." Looking at the agents he shrugged his shoulder. "I knew that as long as Cade had that money he was a target so I got rid of it and sent a picture of it burning to person I thought was in charge."

Groaning, the agents couldn't help but wonder how they had missed that. Looking at Dean they could tell that the other man was just as dumbfounded. "So you really thought that they would have left Cade alone?"

"It worked didn't it? It wasn't until you guys convinced Cade to testify against them that it started to go south. In fact if your boss didn't harass him so damn much and start promising a better life for Ellie he wouldn't have thought about getting money from the cartel." Sam said disgusted. He remembered how nervous Cade had been when he'd first been approached by the Feds, but then it had faded and he had thought his friend had managed to dodge a proverbial bullet.

Rubbing his face with his hand, Dean had no idea what to say about what he had just heard. Standing, he walked to the window before looking at the front door. Groaning he turned back to the agents and crossed his arms.

"So, since we're done here, I suggest you go and make sure that Cade can't come back and hurt my family anymore." He said as he looked at both men intensely.

"We have a few more issues to discuss…"

"Nope, sorry… anything else and you can talk to our attorney, I'm sure you have his number. Now, time to go… bye-bye." Dean said as he opened the broken door as much as possible and motioned for the men to get out.

After the agents drove away Dean turned back to his brother and was surprised to see that we was looking at an empty spot on the couch.

Cussing under his breath he automatically reached for his keys to remember that his car was en route from Florida. Sighing he rushed towards the kitchen door when he saw something that made him rethink his plan.

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John saw the dark sedan pull away from the front of his boys' home as the cab got closer and he couldn't help the sense of relief he felt. It wasn't until he paid the driver and was walking up the driveway that he realized that he suspected that he might have jumped the gun with his internal celebration.

Sam was walking towards the backyard as if he lost his best friend, and if John allowed himself to think about it he would understand just how accurate that assessment was. Following his youngest son he hoped he would be able to help his boy in the way that he had been missing for years.

Seeing the young man that Sam had become sent another twinge of loss through him and he had to shake it away as he understood that self pity right now wasn't what was needed. Stopping at the edge of the house he was surprised to see his grown son now sitting on the swing of Ellie's play yard.

"Sammy?" he called out sensing that although something had happened to send the kid out of the house, he really didn't need to be by himself.

Looking up Sam was shocked to see who was there and was about to rush to him when his father smiled and held out his hand.

"Don't panic son, I'm ok… mostly. How about you?" John asked as he reached the swing and lowered himself onto the edge of the slide.

Shaking his head Sam had no idea what to say. The only family that he'd ever known, before getting shanghaied by the Winchester's a year ago, had been playing him from day one and he had no idea what to think about that. He wasn't sure how he could believe that everything he had been led to believe in the past year wasn't just as faulty as what he'd always thought… after all if Cade could have been so willing to kill him, maybe he did deserve to die and let everyone else get on with their lives.

"You know, after you were taken I had no idea what to do. Oh sure, I went through the motions to get things done, making sure your mom and brother were alright, but it was almost as if I couldn't figure out who I was anymore. I'd catch myself going into your room to watch you sleep, and that first moment of seeing an empty crib would send me into a panic until I remembered just how badly I failed you… failed our family. Everything I believed in, that it was my job to provide and protect my family, went out that window that night… and to be honest there are still times that I wonder if I've ever believed it since." Seeing that his boy was listening John knew that he needed to lay it all out on the line. "I even went through a time that I was sure everyone would be better off without me. In fact I almost acted on it one day."

Shocked, Sam looked at his dad and could only stare a moment before whispering, "What?"

Nodding, John repositioned himself and gave his son a self depreciating grin. "Yeah, I know… what a loser, right? Your mother had been dealing with the rumors and allegations, your brother was having nightmares and would cry at a drop of a hat, and here I was thinking that my pain was more than anyone else's. Anyway, I was out fishing with Mike for the day… your mom's idea of therapy I guess, she was always smarter than me you know… and everything was ok while we were attempting to fish, although I have to admit that I think we caught more beers than fish." He laughed a moment before shaking his head. "On the way back though that's when it hit me… we would never be able to do that, we'd never go fishing, play baseball, build a tree house. Your brother would never be able to give you advice about girls, let you borrow his car, or help sneak you in after a curfew. All the things that we'd lost the night you were taken hit me hard in that one moment and I really thought my heart was ripping from my chest. Unfortunately that was the same moment that the four thirty five train was going to pass in front of me and I knew that if it hadn't been for me then you'd still be with us and I was going to try to make amends. Thankfully the Impala's rear passenger tire blew and sent me into a ditch instead of on the tracks."

"No…" Sam said, not believing what he was hearing. The man next to him had to be making it up because he just couldn't imagine him actually doing anything like that.

"I'm not proud of it Sammy… in fact I never mentioned it to anyone, Mary had her own problems and that's when I understood just how much my head was messed up. Any other day, any other situation and the thought would never have occurred to me, you know… but I kept ignoring the fact that sometimes we have to let go, take a deep breath and do the best we can with every moment we have."

"What if your best isn't good enough?" Sam whispered, not looking at his father anymore, instead finding a fascinating blade of grass making its way up through the play sand at his feet.

Pulling his son close, John smiled and promised. "For us it'll always be enough."


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Sorry this has taken so long, but I found out something really exciting and it's thrown my groove off. Don't worry, I'll fill everyone in as soon as I get more solid info... trust me, it's jump up and down, squeal like a little girl good... really!! Until then, hope no one's disappointed with this chapter.

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Dean stood at the corner of the house waiting for his dad and brother to finish their talk. Although he was thankful that whatever was said had seemed to help Sammy, he still felt a little jealous that it hadn't been him to bring the comfort that had been needed. Sensing that he would be discovered if he stayed any longer, he backed out of sight and returned to the kitchen where he pulled two beers and a soda from the fridge and waited at the table for the remaining Winchester men to return.

When John and Sam walked into the kitchen, they paused only a moment when they saw Dean sitting patiently for them. Noting the uncharacteristic behavior, they looked at each other before turning their attention back to him.

"Son, you ok?" John asked as he watched his eldest ponder something while playing with his beer bottle.

Smirking, Dean nodded before taking a drink and smiling at them. "Now that we got that settled, I say we need to rescue the nurses from mom… what do you say?"

Sam blanched at the thought of no one being at the hospital with their mother and rushed into the living room to make a quick call and grab his backpack. By the time he got back to the kitchen he had managed to work himself into a panic and didn't care who knew it.

"C'mon! We can't just leave her there by herself… do you have any idea what can happen? Move it Dean!" Sam demanded as he rushed out the door leaving his dad and brother to stare at his back in confusion.

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Logan should have known that taking care of a Winchester wouldn't have been a walk in the park, no matter how cute and adorable the child was. Now though he was running through his head how he managed to get talked into sneaking that same little girl into ICU to see her one and only grandmother… especially when she still hadn't said a damn word since leaving the airport without her daddy and uncle.

"Ok princess, this could get a little tricky so just hang on and I'll get you in there." He whispered as he looked around the corner to see how many nurses he was going to have to maneuver around. It amazed him how many people were milling around and he had to wonder if it was just his bad timing or bad luck that was doing him in. Sighing he took one last look and tugged the little hand gently, guiding her close to try to keep her hidden between the wall and his body. They had almost made it to the door when a nurse looked straight at him and stopped in the middle of the hallway. Both stared at each other before the nurse looked even more perturbed and marched straight at him.

"If you're going to sneak that baby in there, then you'd better get a move on… shift change is about to happen and fresh eyes are going to take notice." Marlee hissed as she reached over and opened the door before shoving both of them inside.

Shocked, Logan could only stare at the closing door before turning back to Ellie. "Huh… wasn't expecting that, were we Ellie?"

"Nice." Ellie said softly as she slowly made her way to Mary's bed and crawled up to lay down next to her, effectively ignoring everything else around her.

'Guess that about sums it up.' Logan thought as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. He had no idea how long they would get away with this, but something told him that Ellie would be in a much better mood for awhile.

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Dean chanced a glance at his brother who was wound up so tight he thought the kid would snap before their eyes. It hadn't taken long for him and their dad to catch up to Sammy at the rental car, but since then the silence was so thick Dean was sure he could have dug through it with a spoon. Flicking his eyes towards his dad in the rear view mirror, he could tell that the older man was just as confused as he was, and that was something that he hadn't expected. Sure it was usually him and his brother, but he also knew that if given half a chance, then Sammy and their dad had a pretty good relationship going too… often to the point of their dad able to read the youngest Winchester pretty well. So now it was throwing them off not able to figure out what the hell was going on with the young man currently sitting in the passenger seat looking out the window as if the world had done him a great offence.

Sam knew his family was worried that he'd completely lost his mind, and maybe he had, but they never had to wake up alone in a hospital room knowing that there was no one there to help you if you needed something. Sure there were nurses and doctor's floating around, but he had firsthand experience at what could happen if no one is there when things go really south. He tried to shake the memory away, but it still held on as the feeling that something was terribly wrong had once took control yet he had been unable to do anything about it.

_He knew he should be feeling something, anything, but at the moment he seemed to be drifting aimlessly and he couldn't seem to bring himself to care. He didn't know how long it was from the time he realized he was adrift in nothing to the time he was aware of something that sounded like words around him, but he did know that he was really starting to wish he had stayed in the fog, because right now things were starting to hurt._

"_So, Johnny Doe, I have a bet with one of the other nurses that today is the day that you're going to wake up and show off those pretty eyes of yours. Now I know that I shouldn't have done that, but you know how it goes at times… the opportunity arrives to…. Well, there you are!"_

_Looking around, Sam knew that he should know what had happened, but at the moment he was trying to figure out why he couldn't breathe and he had to wonder why this lady was telling him not to panic… he couldn't breathe…. He couldn't…_

"_Johnny, the tube is for your own good. Your lungs took a beating earlier and we had to do it so you could get some rest. Now calm down… in…out…in…out… that's right, let the machine do its job, ok?"_

_Trying to nod, he could only look helplessly as the nurse continued to administer to his IV and intubation tube before smiling to someone in the doorway. _

"_He's awake doctor."_

_It took a moment before another figure came into view and Sam knew that this man had some answers and he wasn't disappointed._

"_Johnny, I know you're a little freaked out, but I want you to listen, ok? The machine that was feeding you the morphine drip malfunctioned and you went into respiratory distress. We put you on a ventilator so your body could rest while the drug made its way through your system. I'm really sorry that someone hadn't checked on you sooner, but I've made sure that doesn't happen again, alright?"_

_He didn't really care what had happened, he just wanted the stupid tube gone so he could get out of there. He already knew that his case had been reported, so it was only a matter of time before protective services popped in to take him to some other home, and didn't that thought just chill him to the bone. He was fifteen for Christ's sake, you'd think they'd figure out he could take care of himself… usually. Sighing, he nodded, hoping that it would appease them to the point that they'd let him go back to sleep._

He found out later that it was a janitor that had alerted the nurses that something was wrong. Although he never got the man's name, he would always feel thankful to him and would make sure no one he knew, much less cared about, would ever be alone in a hospital like that.

Seeing the hospital come into view, it took everything he had to wait until Dean had actual pulled into a parking space before bolting out of the car and rushing into the hospital, not bothering to wait for the others to join him.

"Son, any idea what that's about?" John asked as he slowly got out of the backseat. He knew that Sammy had been tense the whole way, but had hoped the boy would relax a bit once he saw how close they were to the hospital. Now that he saw just how badly he'd misjudged the situation he had to wonder if there was something that he hadn't picked up on that Dean knew about.

"No clue Dad. C'mon, the way he stormed in there I think we'd better hurry before he terrorizes the hospital staff." Dean said lightly, all the while wondering what was going on in his little brother's head.

It took longer than what they had expected to get to Mary's room but the sight that greeted surprised them so much they could only stand there and stare. Ellie was lying quietly next to her grandma while Sam stood close by watching the monitors closely as if expecting something to go terribly wrong at any moment; all the while Logan sat back and watched everyone in the room.

"You alright Sammy?" Dean asked, suddenly concerned by the intense gaze on his brother's face. At first there was no response, but when Sammy turned to him he could see so much pain that it almost dropped him to his knees. "Sammy?"

"She's ok?" Sam whispered, not daring to speak any louder in case his very acknowledgement would jinx everything.

"Of course she is son; I wouldn't have left her if I didn't have someone close by." John said as he watched the myriad of emotions flash across his son's face. Suspicion crept upon him but he didn't want to jump to conclusions, especially if he was wrong and could hurt their tentative relationship.

Nodding, Sam sat down heavily and took a deep breath.

"I saw a nurse leave the room right before we showed up and another one made sure we weren't disturbed. I'm pretty sure that she would have sent someone else pretty quickly if we weren't here." Seeing the puzzled look on Sam's face, Logan smiled. "Yeah, she was determined that Ellie was going to see Mary without anyone disturbing us, but I got the impression she was wondering what took us so long."

Dean watched as Sammy pondered that for a moment before he nodded and seemed to deflate in the chair. Looking at his dad, he had a suspicion now of what had been going through his brother's head but had no idea how to approach it.

"Well I was wondering when the rest of you were going to show up." Marlee said as she opened the door and headed straight towards Mary's bed. "Now the doctor is about to do his rounds, so we're going to have to limit the visitors to two… for now. John, I know for a fact that you're in your room being a good patient and taking a nap, and I'm pretty sure I can make an allowance for Ellie here under the circumstances but since I have no idea who you are young man…"

Logan held up his hands and smiled. "Hey don't look at me; I'm just a figment of your imagination."

Dean smirked and motioned bye to his friend before turning his attention back to his mom. "So, seriously Marlee… why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"Don't worry, she will soon." Marlee said with a smile before patting Sam on the shoulder. "I made sure one of the aides stayed with her until the shift change, then I was going to come in here myself until I saw your friend and Ellie in the hallway. Now, I'm going to head the doctor off for a few minutes and when I get back…"

"I know, I'm to be in my own room… got it." John said as he smiled his thanks to the nurse. As she walked out of the room, he went to his wife's side and ran his hand through her hair. "I know you're tired sweetheart, but you've got us pretty worried, so whenever you're ready we're here." Looking back at his boys he nodded before giving Dean a meaningful glance, then he was out the door to hold up his end of the bargain.

The room was quiet with even the monitors on mute and it didn't sit well with Dean at all. It didn't take long for Ellie to move from her spot and settle on the floor to make patterns on the tile that only she could see. Dean watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to Sammy. Before he could say anything though his brother beat him to it.

"Sorry about that… it's just the thought of no one being here for her if something happened, you know?" Sam said sadly as he continued to watch the numbers fluctuate slightly on the monitors. "I know there's supposed to be people watching her, but sometimes they get busy."

Concerned, Dean walked over to stand next to his brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Sammy, that's not going to happen here, ok? The whole floor is full of people and…"

"…and we were able to sneak in here without anyone saying a word Dean." Sam pleaded, hoping for some sort of understanding. "What if something else happened and they were too busy to notice? I can't let that happen Dean, I can't!"

Taking a deep breath, Dean knew that his brother was right, they should have been stopped way before getting into the room, but that wasn't going to help at the moment. Instead he gave a small nod and sat down so he could look directly into Sammy's face. "I have a feeling that you know about this first hand, and God Sammy I wish you didn't, but I'm going to promise you something… as long as we're around you're never going to have to worry about that again, alright?"

Any answer Sam was planning on making was cut off by the rustling sound coming from the bed, sending both boys to their mother's side. It didn't take long before they saw Mary's eyes open and recognition in them for her babies. Smiling, she looked at them another moment before falling back to sleep leaving both brothers feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off their shoulders.


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Well here we are at the end of another story, but don't worry I have a tenative idea for a sequel (sometime). Hope you all like this last chapter, thank you all who have read this far, hope to see you all again soon!

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The doctor's couldn't quite pinpoint the exact time that Mary Winchester had gone from model patient to hell on wheels, but they all knew that if they didn't want another repeat from earlier in the week then they had better get the ball rolling with her discharge papers. It wouldn't have been such a big deal except someone had walked in on the matriarch of the Winchester family coloring with her granddaughter after visiting hours and made a comment about it. The look she had settled on the young intern was not one he would ever forget, but it was her actions that had the whole floor rushing to find out what had happened.

"_Don't you dare question how we're raising Ellie, you close minded little moron!" Mary yelled as she threw not only the remaining carton of milk from her bed tray, but also the kidney shaped bowl and had the phone in her hand when Dean rushed in._

_Shocked to see his mom so upset, Dean could only stare a moment before he called out, "MOM!" _

_Seeing his moment of freedom at hand, the intern rushed out of the room bumping into several people on the way out. _

"_He was making comments about how we're raising Ellie, claimed that it was past visiting hours and children with 'her condition' needed extra sleep! Can you believe that idiot? Like he'd know what her 'condition' was to begin with!"_

By the time the attending physician arrived and managed to get the situation under control, both John and Sam had arrived and was witness to the aftermath. John just shook his head and warned the doctor not to mess with his wife again otherwise they'd find themselves one patient lighter and one lawsuit heavier. Needless to say, Mary's final days recovering at the hospital were as tranquil as possible given the circumstances they all had found themselves just barely a week prior.

Marlee leaned back against the counter and enjoyed her cup of coffee while she thought back upon the week with the Winchester's practically camped out in Mary's room. In all fairness, that particular intern had only been doing what he had thought was right, especially since he was new and had no idea the bond that family had towards each other; then again, the kid was a moron if some of his previous actions were anything to go by. Sighing, she checked the clock before looking down the hallway and smiled. 'Just like clockwork.' She mused as she watched the tall young man manage his way down the hall with a notebook in front of his face and a large cup of coffee in his hand.

"Sam, how are you today?" Marlee asked with amusement. She'd watched him practically walk into a wall a couple of days ago while he was in the process of catching up on his school work. Now it looked like he still hadn't learned his lesson and this time the poor boy spilled some of his hot coffee over his hand in surprise to hear someone call out his name.

Hissing, Sam tried to shake off the steaming liquid but only managed to get more on himself in the process. It didn't take long before Marlee was by his side rushing him over to the sink and holding his hand under the cold water.

"Wait!" he yelled in protest but stopped when he saw that it was already too late, his coffee was already ruined. Relaxing in resignation, he allowed the nurse to take a look at his hand and even put burn cream on it 'just as a precaution.' "You didn't have to do that." He said softly as she finished putting gauze around the ointment. "It was fine."

Smiling, Marlee shook her head in amazement before she looked up into his troubled eyes. "Sam, you have a wonderful family and I promise you, you deserve to be looked after just like you look after them. Now go on, your mom has a surprise for you."

Confused, Sam made his way into his mom's room and saw that her bed was empty and completely made. Panic started to well up inside him until he saw the bathroom door open.

"Sammy, there you are! I was hoping you wouldn't mind being the one to take me home. I knew that Dean was waiting for that friend of yours from Florida to bring his car home, and your father was going to try to keep him from going completely nuts until she pulled into the driveway." Mary said as she smiled at her youngest son. "So, how about we surprise everyone?"

Sam smiled but didn't say anything; he couldn't with the lump sitting in his throat. He didn't know how he got this lucky, but he was definitely going to enjoy his time with his family for however long it lasted. He just hoped they didn't wake up too soon and see how messed up he really was. Picking up the small suitcase of his mother's, he offered him his arm and they started down the hallway towards their family where they belonged.

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Cade Hart hated attorneys almost as much as he'd hated his mother when she was alive, but even he knew they had their uses. He hadn't originally held out any hope of seeing his little girl before his trial, but his lawyer had spoken with the judge and had convinced the man that it would be in everyone's best interest if he was able to see Ellie and explain that he was really ok and that she'd see him again someday. He didn't ask how the man pulled it off, but for once he was grateful that he had someone close by who knew the system better than he did. His attorney had assured him that dear old Johnny would get served the notice to appear in front of the judge with Ellie so she could see her real daddy again.

"Sorry Johnny, but you messed up big this time." Cade mused as he remembered the times when it was Johnny who would look to him for answers. Leaning back in his cell he wasn't prepared for what happened next, and would remember it for the rest of his life.

"You know, I really hate it when people try to take what's mine."

Sitting up quickly, Cade could only stare at the man that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't until the man smiled that he knew he was in deeper than he had ever dreamed of before. "I don't know what you're talking about. " he said before he realized that was really the wrong thing to say. The man's smile turned even more feral and his eyes turned a horrendous yellow making Cade wonder if this was one of those things that Johnny used to wake up screaming about.

"So I'm a 'thing' now? Tsk tsk, I'm hurt, really I am. To think that after all this time of knowing what's really out there waiting in the dark, you categorize me with one of those 'things'? Ah well, it doesn't really matter anyway, does it?" the demon asked as he walked closer to Cade. "You took my favorite prospect and turned him inside out. Normally I'd be impressed, but you see that's the problem… he was my favorite." He growled out as he grabbed Cade by the neck and lifted him by the neck off his cot and onto the wall.

This experience was definitely something that Cade Hart would never forget for the rest of his life, too bad there wasn't too much of his life left.

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Dean son, you need to calm down. That girl, Layla, said she'd be here today and I'm sure she will be. She couldn't help having to take a detour because of a tropical depression." John said as he tried to reason with his eldest boy. Seeing the incredulous look on Dean's face however showed him exactly just how little he really knew about what was going on. "Ok son, spill it. What's so damn important that you've been on pins and needles for this girl to show up?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Dean looked at his dad and sighed. He knew he's been a little wired, but with everyone recovering, and things getting back to normal, it really made him realize just how lonely his little brother had to be feeling and that made him want to rectify the situation. Not knowing how much he could tell his dad without spilling all of it, he was just about to come up with another lame excuse when the Impala pulled into the driveway. Seeing the same expression on his dad's face as he was sure was on his, he got up from the table and followed his dad outside where they got the best surprise they could think of.

"Mary!" John cried out as he helped her out of the car. "How in the hell did I not know about this?" he demanded as he looked over at Sam and silently demanded an explanation.

Laughing, Mary shook her head. "Don't blame Sammy, John. I convinced the doctors not to say anything in case it didn't happen. Now that that's settled, how about someone explain to me what's so important about this girl that Dean couldn't have flown to wherever she was and pick up his car?"

"Dean?" Sam asked cautiously as he watched his older brother's eyes widen first with shock then with trepidation. "Dean, what did you do? You told me that you were having your Camaro transported back here, not driven by… who?"

"Look, Sammy… uh, it's like this." Dean began but was distracted by the sight of his car pulling into the driveway and parking behind the Impala.

"Dean… what did you do?" Sam asked as he stared at the driver of his brother's car. He was still staring as he watched Layla get out of the car and walk his way.

"Hi Sam." Layla said with a smile as she watched the myriad of emotions pass across his face.

"Hey Layla." Sam whispered, completely oblivious to the looks his family was giving him.

"Alright you two, now I get the point. John, Dean… inside. You both have other things to do besides staring at them." Mary urged as she enlisted the two eldest Winchester men to help her inside while making a list of things to do before Ellie got home in her head.

Dean snuck a look out the kitchen window and couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted him. His little brother looked about as love struck as anyone he'd ever met, and it looked like the feeling was mutual. Before he had any more time to gloat, he was pulled away from the window and handed a dish towel.

Mary listened patiently as Dean complained about the chores he'd be delegated to, but she glanced behind her and saw John enjoying the show as much as she was; their baby boy was falling in love, and they had a front row seat, what more could they ask for?


End file.
